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Cuban mass media exist since1782, therefore
journalists too. Cuban journalism maintained high
quality standards in the 1940s and 1950s. Though
they were supported by the state financial by
subsidies Diario de la Marina, El Mundo and
Información matched international standards.
Journalists were graduates and followed training
program of four years funded by the government. They
even had a Journalists' Association. The latter
worked for the safeguarding ethics and applying
disciplinary measures in order to maintain the
quality and standards of the profession. Journalists
in Machado’s and Batista’s eras weren’t free because
of state’s subsidies which run the businesses. Some
pr-governmental journalist payroll even came from
the state. Only Prensa Libre’s and The Times of
Havana’s journalists were independent and free
analysts by meeting their expenses.
With the 1959 revolution, many journalists/analysts
of the Cuban press escaped Cuba, its communist
regime and persecution. They were perceived by the
state as terrorists and serving capitalist interests
from the state and others from underground Cuba, the
Cuban exiles as well as the outside world they were
in fact freedom fighters; this depending of their
point of views and political affiliations. Harassed
by the governmental police or assigned to residence
or even imprisoned, according to liberticidal laws
enforced by the regime, journalists have been and
are through difficult time in socialist Cuba.
Regimented by state agencies of the Communist Party,
the Agencia de Información Nacional and Prensa
Latina, since the dawn of the revolution,
independent analysts have been muzzled and prevented
Cuba to move forward. Out of 15,000 journalists,
only some match international standards.
In the 1990, a group of independent journalists
opposing the government policy has been fighting for
a free press. Imprisoned, they are deprived of
ill-treated they are not provided with adequate
sanitary facilities and are subjected to solitary
confined.
There are about a hundred journalists writing
articles for the international press informing Cuban
exiles about what is going on here, on the Cuban
soil. This is accepted by the Cuban regime as far as
it is not release to Cuban citizens in the homeland.
By limiting information, the Cuban regime controls
and monitors the behavior of Cubans and
indoctrinates them.
The articles are released online and as surfing is
not allowed except through special, permission of
some selected few and inaccessible for Cuban
nationals; auto-censorship is also practiced out of
fear of imprisonment of readers.
In March 2003, 21 journalists were imprisoned. Seven
journalists among them Carlos Brizuela were released
in December 2004. But still in 2005, there were
still the movement of Reporters without Borders
campaigning for the release of the Cuban
journalists.
Since the 1959 revolution, more four decades from
flourishing press has been transformed in a poor
muzzled press. |
