Reuters leads the pack on reporting return of “Baby Doc” Duvalier to Haiti

Reuters was well ahead on the shock return to Haiti on Jan. 16 of former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier and its repercussions. Our reporter was at the airport to confirm his arrival by sight and was alone among international media to obtain his first comments that he was back to “show solidarity” for his quake-hit homeland. As a media feeding frenzy erupted over the intriguing return, we were first to confirm on Jan. 18 that Duvalier was to be “questioned” and then were well ahead of the competition with the confirmation that a Haitian prosecutor had filed charges, and that the ex-ruler would not be free to leave the country. The Financial Times quoted Reuters on the questioning, and the BBC credited us on the charges. A Jan. 19 interview with a Human Rights Watch “dictator hunter” helped join the dots on the possible implications of his return, including the angle that it could be linked to a battle over funds in Swiss banks, something the New York Times only reported the next day.