Cuban journalists, professors to visit USA
Tracey Eaton (alongthemalecon.com)
HAVANA TIMES — Nine Cuban journalists and scholars plan to visit California State University, Fullerton, for 10 days starting on Dec. 3.
The visitors plan to get a first-hand look at digital journalism. They’ll talk to American journalists and professors. They’ll examine the rise of social media in journalism. Some will even do some reporting, a Cal-State source says.
Cal-State scholars, for their part, are interested in assessing changes in Cuban journalism, among other things.
The December visit is a first step toward a full-scale university exchange.
The visitors include:
- Raúl Garcés Corra, dean of faculty of communication at the University of Havana.
- Deborah Torres Ponjuán, vice dean for information technology and development at the University of Havana.
-
• Cristina Escobar Dominguez, a reporter, commentator and broadcaster. Photo: cubadebate.cu Beatriz Pérez Alonso, a University of Havana communication professor and former chief editor of Cubahora digital magazine.
- Maribel Acosta Damas, head of the journalism department at the University of Havana.
- Miguel Ernesto Gomez Masjuan, a journalist, blogger, screenwriter and faculty member at the University of Havana.
- Liliam Marrero Santana, a professor in the New Technologies Department at the José Martí International Institute of Journalism.
- Fidel A. Rodríguez Fernández, also a professor in the New Technologies Department at the José Martí International Institute of Journalism.
- Sergio Alejandro Gomez, international editor of Granma newspaper.
- Cristina Escobar Dominguez, a reporter, commentator and broadcaster who anchors a talk show about journalism in Cuba.
I have watched Cristina Escobar Dominguez on State TV in Cuba. She appears to be dedicated – to the Party. However, she is far preferable to Randy Alonso Falcon the Producer and host of that Party talk shop “Mesa Redondo” which gathers together supporters of the regime for interview and discussion with the unprepossessing Randy. Those being interviewed have scripts in front of them to enable them to give appropriate replies to Randy’s leading questions.
The best performance by Randy Alonso Falcon was when he endeavored a couple of years ago to interview Fidel Castro Ruz who was clearly suffering a period of dementia. The whole thing collapsed with the normally smirking Randy having a bemused expression as he looked at Fidel’s minder for guidance. The program was not shown on Cuban TV, but found its way onto the internet – where I recorded it to take to show to friends in Cuba.
Another interesting program is “Dossier” upon which a particularly smartly dressed Walter Rodriguez talks about his views of world affairs with accompanying clips of actions in different countries including as many public demonstrations in free countries as possible particularly those with shots of police interventions. Walter wears a black patch over his right eye, appropriately allowing him to only view the world from the left. At the end of the program Walter gives the viewers a smart salute as he walks towards and then past the camera.
As Moses indicates, the regime tightly controls all broadcasts and media. But then of course the whole system of the regime is about control.
My wife, who graduated from the University of Havana, with a degree in marketing and communications, ultimately became one of the news anchors on the national morning news program called “Buenas Dias”. She now works as a correspondent for CNN Espanol. She has more editorial control now as a ‘lowly’ reporter at CNN than she could even imagine as a national anchor with ICRT. She needed permission to change even one word in the news script. Over time she was able to recommend stories but even then the ultimate decision remained with some propaganda monkey in the Information Ministry. A Cuban journalist is a puppet with no editorial freedom and absolutely no power to say or print anything that criticizes the Castros and their totalitarian regime.