Information, Medium & Society: Twenty-second International Conference on Publishing Studies

Abstract

During the Jefferson administration, anti-Federalist newspapers worked to construct a narrative for the public about Haiti establishing itself as an independent nation. In my paper I argue that this narrative is characterized by an unjustified massacre of the white French inhabitants of the island, rather than a successful slave insurrection promoting black resistance and self-liberation, by way of yellow journalism and sensationalist tactics. Furthermore, with the present government concerns following the outbreak of the Haitian Revolution, I argue that the government took advantage of the media’s power of free speech in order to disseminate and control this public narrative. Proving how newspapers attempted to shape the Haitian Revolution for American citizens, I want to understand who defined the Hatiain Revolution for the United States. How did US policymakers and newspaper editors attempt to shape the Haitian Revolution? Were certain topics being emphasized? What views were the newspapers taking? How were Haitian revolutionary leaders being portrayed? How were newspapers describing trade between the US and Haiti? What are the specific responses to government documents in newspapers? Were the media and government working together, or were they portraying things differently? What were some consequences in the messages being sent?