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By George E. Curry. Posted on Wed, Jul. 03, 2002 in
The
Miami Herald
HAVANA -- It was a progressive idea. A delegation of Cuban journalists would
host more than a dozen African-American journalists, many of whom would be
seeing Cuba for the first time. This would be our chance to see Cuba for
ourselves.
The brainchild of syndicated columnist DeWayne Wickham, the gathering would
hold t s to discuss journalism in our respective countries and learn
more about one another. The sessions, held here at Martí International
Institute of Journalism, were going along well-for a while.
In his opening remarks, Wickham described the adversarial relationship in
the United States between journalists and government officials, one in which the
media serve as proxy for the public by closely scrutinizing the actions of
elected officials.
If any of us were momentarily lulled into believing that these were our
counterparts, that impression was quickly shattered when several declared that
they had ed the Castro revolution in 1959 and view their job today as
helping those in power.
I cringed. These are not journalists, I thought; these are government
public-relations agents -- "flacks.''
Regardless of how they tried to spin it, they work for the state-owned
media-TV, radio and newspapers, and they spew only the official line of Fidel
Castro.
Its not that I didnt know in advance that these were not, in the true sense
of the word, journalists. But hearing them say that they were there to
the revolution underscored just how different we see our roles.
One of them, Ulise Estrada Lescaille, director of Revista Tricontinental,
prides himself on that association. In his magazine, he writes fondly of his
''days with Che [Guevara]'' in 1961. At the time, Estrada Lescaille was, he
says, ''second in command of the MOE (department of Special Operations for Cuban
Intelligence).'' Oliver North wasnt the first to switch from the military
battlefield to the propaganda-filled commentary.
When the so-called journalists in Havana spoke, it was as if each were
reading from the same prepared statement. ''Were all Cubans,'' they would say
over and over, denying that race is an issue in Cuban society.
Yet, speak to dark-skinned people in Havana, and (once convinced that you
are not a government official) they will it that both color and class remain
staples of Cuban society. Of course, the same is true in the United States.
Like many communist countries, there are strict limitations placed on what
one can write and say about the leader of the country. At home, we can openly
question President Bushs intelligence, but here, to question Castro is unlawful
and considered disrespectful.
Clarence Page, a former colleague who worked with me in the Washington
bureau of The Chicago Tribune, and I visited with some real journalists in
Havana who say they cannot publish dissenting opinions without the risk of
getting thrown in jail. They told us of constant harassment, and how its illegal
to have a fax machine in the home without government approval.
If they seek to cover a public function, some said, it is not unusual to be
picked up by police, only to be driven miles away. By the time they can return
to the site, the event is over. Still, most of them are not lingering in jail.
As bad as things are in Cuba, they could be worse. I have friends in Beijing
who cannot access news sites in China. Despite the government crackdown in Cuba,
some government opponents manage to operate fax machines. If they can gain
access to the Internet at a legal place, such as the hotels frequented by
foreigners, news sites are not blocked.
Looking at repressive governments, especially when away from home, makes one
appreciate the beauty of the First Amendment, which protects free speech, the
right to assemble and freedom of the press. Although Attorney General John
Ashcroft is seeking to undermine many of the freedoms we take for granted, the
U.S. Constitution is a unique document. We tend to take it for granted -- until
we see the alternative.
George E. Curry, editor-in-chief of NNPA News Service and BlackPress
USA.com, is the former editor of Emerge: Black Americas Newsmagazine. | 
