The Times of India. May 11, 2000
HAVANA: Elian Gonzalez is not the top news story in Cuba. He is the only news story.
At least that is how it seems to Cubans, who for the last five months have read, heard and seen little else on state media than the emotional custody dispute over the six-year-old.
From dawn to dusk -- and often well beyond -- headlines are dominated by the latest on Elian, TV round-table discussions analyse minutiae of the case and special musical jingles play over images of the boy or the protesting masses in Cuba.
``If you want to avoid Elian, the only way is down here'' joked a young fisherman, Ernesto, diving into the water off Havana's seafront to search for lobsters.
On a typical morning, Granma, the ruling Communist party newspaper, leads its front page with information on the latest ``Free Elian'' mobilisation under an uplifting headline: ``The epic battle of ideas continues.''
The next day, a headline on events in the US, where Elian's Miami relatives looked after the boy until his dramatic reunion with his Cuban father in Washington, reads: ``The kidnappers lost custody and still act outside the law.''
Juventud Rebelde (rebel youth), Cuba's other daily paper, often takes a more burlesque approach, with front page cartoons depicting Elian's US relatives and their supporters as unscrupulous buffoons.
With Cuba's media entirely in state hands, it has been the same story on radio and television, with journalists casting their work as a key part of the national crusade launched by President Fidel Castro to bring Elian back to Cuba.
Only the recent Group of 77 summit in Havana, and Cuba's outraged reaction to a UN censure over human rights, have made any inroad into the blanket Elian coverage, although even those subjects were often linked to his case.
One recent US visitor was taken aback when he turned on Radio Reloj (radio clock) to hear the headlines on his first morning in Cuba. ``I got as far as hearing 14 headlines and 13 of them were on Elian.'' he said. ``I guess I got the message''
Perhaps the most important media tool for Cuba has been state TV, where daily round-table discussions are held --often in the presence of Castro --to inform the general public of developments and articulate Havana's position.
The TV shows have also drawn heavily from the internet, giving many Cubans their first real view of web technology, still off-limits to those without an authorised access.
In case anyone misses the newspaper, radio or TV coverage, special supplements have been printed during the saga for sale or free distribution. This week, 200,000 children received a collection of photos of Elian's reunion with his father.
While state journalists have thrown themselves completely behind the government --and Elian's father -- in the battle to bring back the boy, a tiny sector of dissident reporters have been painting a different picture.
Most of the 30 or so self-styled ``independent'' journalists, working illegally outside state media and denounced by Havana as US- paid counterrevolutionary mercenaries, back in principle the campaign to return Elian. But they have been strongly critical of the blanket media campaign, saying it
is in reality an attempt to win popularity for Castro and distract Cubans from other issues such as economic difficulties and repression of dissidents. (Reuters)
© Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 2000. |