Fighting for Freedom at 89! Meet Ambassador Raymond Joseph by Mike Blinder
Raymond Alcide Joseph is arguably one of the most remarkable news publishers in our industry today. In 1971, while working as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, he founded, with his brother Léo, the Haiti Observateur, a weekly newspaper and 24/7 website that publishes in three languages (Haitian Creole, French, and English). Today, it remains the free voice of the Haitian people.
For five years, Joseph served as Haiti’s ambassador to the U.S., and during the massive 2010 earthquake, he was essentially the functioning government since the capitol, Port au Prince, was substantially damaged, and the country’s elected leadership could not be reached.
Joseph is credited by The American Bible Society as the original translator of the New Testament with the Psalms from original languages and French to Haitian Creole. His autobiographical book, « For Whom the Dogs Spy, » reveals Joseph’s insider’s account—having served under four presidents—of Haiti’s struggle to build a democracy during the tyrannical reign of dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who used the legend of voodoo to bewitch the country into fearing him.
In this segment of « E&P Reports, »publisher Mike Blinder goes one-on-one with Joseph on topics that range from the start of his newspaper and how he influenced change during a cruel dictatorship to his opinions on the importance of a free press, not just in Haiti but here in the U.S. as well.
More information about Ambassador Raymond Alcide Joseph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Joseph
View the Haïti Observateur’s latest edition : https://youtu.be/mco-0lUqgj4
Reproduced with the permission of Mike Blinder from the original : https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/at-89-raymond-joseph-is-still-publishing-and-fighting-for-the-haitian-people,193494
