To The Point. Published Monday, October 15, 2001 in
The Miami Herald
When more than 400 Latin American reporters gathered in Havana last week to "analyze
neoliberalism's negative impact on the press,'' there was one group that was
notable for its absence -- Cuba's outlawed and repressed independent
journalists.
While many attending the conference dedicated much time to flagellating
American media, they missed the reality in front of their noses: The Cuban
regime's control of the island's media and information is so total that freedom
of speech is nonexistent.
Cuba's censured independent press won't be silenced, nonetheless. A newly
organized Independent Journalist's Foundation demanded access to debate with the
visiting reporters. "The stability of the Cuban government has always been
based on its ideological control,'' the group affirmed in a press release signed
by six of its directors.
That press release, however, was not -- and never would be -- picked up by
any medium on the island. The Cuban government effectively excises all criticism
by its control of all TV, radio and written media.
The so-called journalists, unwilling to hear out Cuba's dissident press, ill
serve the profession.
Copyright 2001 Miami Herald | 
