Staff reports. Sun-Sentinel. Web-posted: 11:13 p.m. Sep. 7, 2000
The Cuban government has approved a permanent news bureau for the Sun-Sentinel and its corporate parent, Tribune Co., in Havana, Cuban government officials said Thursday.
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque informed John Madigan, Tribune chairman, president and chief executive officer, and Raymond Jansen, senior vice president of Tribune Publishing, of the decision at a meeting at the Cuban Mission to the United Nations in New York.
"Our goal all along has been to provide our readers the most comprehensive coverage available on a vitally important region to South Florida," said Earl Maucker, editor of the Sun-Sentinel. "A bureau in Cuba brings us a step closer to providing that level of coverage."
The Sun-Sentinel and Chicago Tribune have been discussing the possibility of opening a Tribune Co. news bureau in Havana.
CNN and The Associated Press are the only other American news operations now in Cuba. About 150 correspondents from other countries are based on the island.
"The Cuba story is one that needs to be told properly," Madigan said. "Being there allows you to do that. We have a lot of interest in events in Cuba and this is another way to bring to our readers in-depth coverage of subjects important to them. We are very excited about this
bureau. It represents an effort conducted by many Tribune employees, including people within the Times Mirror organization before our merger," Madigan said.
Tribune Co. recently merged with Times Mirror Co., the former owner of the Los Angeles Times, Newsday in New York, The Sun in Baltimore and several other newspapers. Details on whether other Tribune newspapers would participate in the Havana bureau remain to be worked out.
"We are looking forward to the opportunity to cover Cuba," said Jansen, "not only for our readers in Florida and New York but also in other markets interested in news and events on the island." Jansen oversees Tribune's East Coast newspapers, including the Sun-Sentinel and
the Orlando Sentinel in Florida. He is also the president and publisher of Newsday.
"We are gratified at the opportunity to extend our foreign coverage to Cuba," said George de Lama, associate managing editor for foreign and national news at the Chicago Tribune.
The Cubans also gave permission to The Dallas Morning News to open a news bureau.
Kerry Gunnels, international editor of the Morning News, said of Cuba, "It's a great story that resonates with American readers."
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