During a weather report about Hurricane Matthew on “The Weather Channel,” Jennifer Delgado, a meteorologist, commented on why there’s a lack of trees in Haiti. She said (video shown below): “They take all the trees down, they burn the trees. Even the kids there, they’re so hungry they actually eat the trees.”
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Once the news of her statement broke out, many Haitians were insulted, offended, confused, and downright angry. They took to social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram saying (amongst many other things) that Delgado doesn’t know what she’s talking about and should check her facts before saying that Haitians eat trees. A man named Jonathan Francois was so angered, that he made a petition in order to get Delgado fired. He wrote:
“This is a petition to ask Mr. David Clark, President of Weather Channel, to get rid of Jennifer Delgado from his organization for her insulting remarks about Haitian children." While discussing the impact of Hurricane Matthew, which made landfall on Haiti early Tuesday morning, October 4th, 2016, Meteorologist Jennifer Delgado panned to a look at the Caribbean country’s deforestation, which she states might pose a threat to the island more than their neighbors of the Dominican Republic. Meteorologist Jennifer Delgado said that "They take all the trees down, they burn the trees". She went one step further to say that "“Even the kids there, they’re so hungry they actually eat the trees.” NO, HAITIANS DO NOT EAT TREES. Get your facts right before you offend 15 millions Haitians.
Haitians around the world are extremely upset and offended by Ms. Jennifer Delgado's stupid remarks and want her separation from the Weather Channel. She had not proven her professionalism, competence, and knowledge about Haiti during her weather-cast. As a result, she is in violation of ethical standards of journalism and her employer-established rules and policies for employees. As a result, she has to be let go. Instead of boycotting the Weather Channel where the company could lose millions of dollars in sponsorship and advertisement, we just want her to get terminated for her insulting remarks.
#WeDontEatTrees” (https://www.change.org/p/petition-to-fire-meteorol...)"
His petition has garnered over 19,000 supporters but apparently not enough to get Delgado fired since she still has her job at “The Weather Channel.” She posted an apology on her Facebook page after much backlash from the Haitian community about her false statement: “I want to apologize for a statement that I made yesterday that was inappropriate. My intention is always to provide relevant information to areas impacted by severe weather and I wanted to spotlight the incredibly difficult conditions that the people in Haiti continue to face, particularly in light of Hurricane Matthew. I deeply regret and apologize for any statement that I used on-air that was offensive.” Despite her apology, she still received resentment. She also formally apologized on “The Weather Channel” (video link posted below) but didn’t alleviate any anger.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLJ2MmEjDgK/
Hurricane Matthew, which swept through Haiti with winds up to 145 miles per hour and torrential downpours of rain, has left thousands of Haitians homeless and more than 800 dead (that are known of). According to yahoo.com, “This is the biggest natural disaster to strike Haiti since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010.” Reportedly, a United States dock ship was on its way to Haiti to “support relief efforts.” They’re bringing along “heavy-left helicopters, bulldozers, fresh water delivery vehicles and surgical operating rooms.” Matthew has also ravaged Florida with 120 mph winds bringing down trees and power lines. So far, only one person in Florida has been reported dead.
Please pray for the people in Haiti, Florida, and wherever the hurricane plans to hit next.
Have a great week everyone xo.
