Access to Media in the Dominican Republic - Essay Example

Access to media in the Dominican Republic is restricted. Only rich and influential people can get access to media and have a hand in influencing what is to be broadcasted or presented in print media. It ensures that the news that reaches the public is as required by a few influential people. Such news includes stories portraying the negativity of Haitians and their poor way of life. This negative depiction of Haitians plays a major role in instilling antihaitinismo among the Dominican people. Haiti’s politics is portrayed as bad and viewed as a political failure by the Dominican press. All the media wants is negative news about Haiti to make great headlines and, as a result, make money by attracting many readers. Political cartoons are very common in print media and are used to give news that is hard to spread in words. Such news is greatly exaggerated to come up with cartoons that will be attractive enough for news consumers among the Dominican People. The negative news portraying antihaitinismo in the Dominican Republic is mostly false, but due to the media restriction within the Dominican Republic, the Dominican people tend to believe it to be true. Very few Dominican reporters know the truth about Haiti. The rest only give news based on secondary sources, rather than firsthand experience or sources. None of them has been to Haiti to experience their way of life and to give a true account of it (Sagas, 2003).

During the Trujillo error, antihaitinismo was an ideology, fitting the totalitarian model. The dictatorship required an ideology to dwell on, and on which to misguide the people into hating the Haitians. The Trujillo error molded antihaitinismo into a system that was to be loathed. It was depicted as having a very great difference with Dominican ways. This propaganda against Haiti was instilled into Dominicans for decades, around thirty-one years. It means that some people were born among the Dominican people when the propaganda was still on and lived a great part of their lives under a dictatorship that instilled it into them. It created a nation that had fully embraced antihaitinismo. Such a generation becomes hard to modify their mindset or view towards Haiti and the people.

Creating an ideology is a key influence in driving people’s minds towards embracing a particular perspective of life or creating a stereotype about a group of people. The ideology created among the Dominican people towards the Haitians can greatly be viewed as a form of racism, though symbolic.

            The Dominican people have a mentality installed in them against the Haitians. According to Sagas, the power of an ideology is great to drive a nation against another nation. It rules their minds beyond reason, such that convincing them otherwise is difficult. Dictatorship is enough to create an ideology and lead its people into it and through it. Moreover, it makes a norm among the people and clouds their minds beyond any reason to research the truth of the matter of things.