Ahead of all rivals with outcome of disputed first round of Haiti presidential election

Reuters scooped all international and local news organizations with the outcome of the first round of Haiti’s presidential election, as election officials overturned the initial results to knock the government-backed candidate out of the second-round runoff. The first round of voting had been marred by vote-rigging, sparking violent street protests, and Haiti’s government came under intense international pressure to review the results. When it did, Reuters got word from two members of Haiti’s electoral board that the second-round vote would now be between two opposition candidates, former first lady Mirlande Manigat and musician Michel “Sweet Mickey” Martelly. The electoral board announced its results almost 90 minutes after Reuters had the news. Competitors were furious that Reuters had the scoop, especially as they had spent a whole night waiting for the results. U.S. State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley noted at one point in a tweet that Reuters had reported the result “45 minutes ago” but also urged it be taken with a “grain of salt” because there was no official confirmation. Our sourcing was of course impeccable and the announcement, when it finally came, proved us absolutely right.