Reader Responses to Havana Times Inquiry

By Circles Robinson

HAVANA TIMES – Back in January I asked our readers to answer a few questions about our publication now in its 16th year.  So far 30+ of you sent in your replies. Today I want to mention some of the answers-ideas mentioned. 

There is no time limit for any of you to send in your replies and any other suggestions when you have the time. After all these years I appreciate your feedback moving forward. 

The following are the questions I asked and some of the reader responses:

Approximately how often do you access Havana Times?

This varied a lot. Several readers said they look at Havana Times every day, others once or twice a week and some several times in the week.

We always publish new articles daily but also try to keep the articles available on the cover of HT for several days.

With time I have adjusted the posting times, usually in the morning and then again in evening.

Do you usually access by phone or computer?

While overall stats show our readers are evenly divided between telephone and computer/tablet.  However, on those answering our questions the vast majority said they access by computer.

If you ever have a problem you can’t resolve in connecting with HT, be it by smartphone or computer, let us know as we might be able to help. This also tips us off if the site is not loading properly.

Do you usually enter from an article link you receive or by opening our main page?

Here it is pretty much even between readers who enter from an email link from our subscription service with Follow it and those who go directly to our cover page.  A smaller number visit by clicking on a link our Facebook page.

What do you like most of Havana Times?

Havana Times provides the reader with a balanced approach to journalism which is unavailable in Cuba and most other Latin American countries. First-hand accounts from Cuban citizens gives a realistic and truthful understanding of what is occurring specifically in this country.

I love the personal diaries for the everyday glimpse into the lives of everyday Cubans. I also appreciate the articles on what is going on in Cuba, the pulse of the people.

Gives a view of what is actually going on.

The diversity of perspectives and the timeliness of news. I consider it an important news source regarding Cuba.

Personal stories about life in Cuba.

They don’t mess around when it comes to news. They get to the point and… well… I have been able, within my limited time, to verify the veracity of some news and that naturally inspires confidence in me.

I love HT!  I look at it every day, My Pastor is from Cuba, he was part of Operation Pedro Pan around 1962. The website is fine as is and easy to navigate. It is refreshing to see what is really going on in Cuba via your web site.

It’s seeing Havana in the distance. Feel Cuba from the center of Cuba. Thank you for the work of the Havana Times collaborators.

I most enjoy the “Diaries”. They not only show the changes in Cuban laws, but they show HOW those changes impact Cuban people. Over the past 7 years, I think I’ve gone through most every “Diary” so some of the articles go back a dozen years. Comparing life in Cuba a dozen years ago…with how life is impacted today…reaffirms my belief that Cuban law needs to change very, very soon.

I want to see the world through the eyes of others.  HT helps me to do that.

I like that I can switch between languages and access is very user-friendly.

I like mostly like the Cuba news, I also like Nicaragua news.

The website is easy to navigate.

I prefer the photo of the day and the music choices. The world is too much with me lately, and I have to keep my anxiety level under control.

HT continues to be one of a handful of solid, reliable, and independent media projects shining its multi-colored light on importante aspects of Cuban society, aspects almost entirely absent in the official press.

A service of great value, it is read inside Cuba and outside Cuba in an English-speaking geographical area. It is shared on the networks. It is a decent job, without commitments to political sides, only with journalistic objectivity.

Open-minded independent writing on a variety of topics and from a variety of sources and writers is the thing we appreciate most about HT. The articles from and concerning Nicaragua are most interesting to us because we have a special connection in our own relatively recent history. We want to keep up our feeling of connection with Nicaragua and remain current in our understanding of things political and human interest there. We read the news and information about Latin American countries to keep up on the wider political developments This is the only publication that provides the same wide-ranging information from and about that part of the world.

The diversity of perspectives and the timeliness of news. I consider it an important news source regarding Cuba.

The human-interest articles are as engaging as the politically based. They provide insight into basic day-to-day life, of personal joys and challenges.

The Photo of the Day is a great feature. We never miss opening it. We very much enjoy the annual Photo Contest.

The newspapers.- Because it is where I participate and to see what others say and how they are saying it.  Congratulations on so many years and all the commitment that this work entails!

Havana Times is one of my greatest prides. Congratulations on your work. I send you a big hug from Havana.

In an increasingly polarized world, this newspaper is a libertarian example. I read the Nicaragua section of the Havana Times every day on my tablet. My wife and I first visited Nica in 2011.  We rented a Hilux and drove all around the country, always feeling safe. Our last stop was Gran Pacifica. We enjoyed ourselves so much we bought a home there. We spent our winters in Nicaragua until 2018 and have only had minimal visits since then. Last month we gave up hope for the country and sold our property at Gran Pacifica. Now our only daily connection is the Havana Times. Here’s hoping that you chose to continue coverage.

What do you like least of HT?

If lying propaganda and sophistry could have destroyed the Cuban Revolution like the garbage boilerplate registering the extreme bitterness and frustration of the US imperialists then Washington and its lackeys like Havana Times would have been triumphant years ago.

Now that the site loads properly on my computer, I have no complaints!

It is a real shame that they cannot often mention names and accompany reports with photos that serve as background for the news or even to corroborate the information. But. in fact, it is easy to understand the reasons for these “absences. “It’s my go to for the pulse of the people.

No you’ve turned into a propaganda piece for Miami, New Jersey and Washington DC. imperialists.

Some of the articles (normally taken from other websites) may tend to get analytical. As I reside in the United States, the facts and figures may be hard for me to understand. The comments to articles are not always useful, but I wouldn’t stop them.

What I miss are the lively debates between the clearly pro-Castro types who trolled the blog and those of us who had a more “realistic” perspective of life in Cuba. What happened to the commentors who defended the failed Dictatorship? Did they give up?Which has a limited profile in terms of topics.

It has a limited number of topics. Because It could access a huge sector of public attention. Such a sector could have one more place to get the information it usually consumes and that HT could offer.

Is the publication of any use to you to better understand life and the situation in Cuba and/or Nicaragua?

“Of course, it’s very useful to me! I am a Nicaraguan in exile, and I have the great joy (what a beautiful coincidence!!!) of having married a beautiful Cuban woman, who has turned out to be a magnificent wife. You can imagine what that implies in our home with our 5 daughters, 4 of whom are still minors, who probably won’t know our homeland other than through means like yours.”

YES!!! Although I don’t read anything other than “Cuba” articles, the analytical articles, the Diaries, even the photographs, help me understand how your daily struggles enrage, and depress, but ultimately endure the spirit of overcoming the trials you have to endure.

My heart breaks for Nicaragua and the way Ortega turned coats in his second rise to power. The unmitigated evil of jailing journalists and students scares me. My heart breaks for Cubans who put up with so much scarcity of the things we take advantage of here.

HT is the only source we have that provides a current, true and insightful understanding of life in Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries. It can be downright heart wrenching to learn of the atrocities committed by the governments against their own people ranging from the long, slow burn to immediate, real-time persecution, repression, and exclusion.

Do you like when we also cover other Latin American countries?

Yes, the coverage is educational and enlightening.

Yes, to a degree. I am more interested in Cuba.

Yes, please cover more news about other Latin American countries. I love the perspective of reporters from the countries they write about.

To be honest, I don’t read them.

I like getting information about Latin America, and I would like to see a wider focus, not just Cuba and Nicaragua. 

Yes, it gives insight into these other countries and what is going on there.

Claro que sí. Por favor no se olviden nunca de nuestros demás hermanos latinos.

Yes, to a degree. I am more interested in Cuba.

Although I would like more Cuban news, the other countries need to have their stories told as well.

Yes. Cuban citizens are not the only ones in Latin America undergoing communist dictatorial control.

What suggestions do you have for the coming period? 

Keep up the excellent journalistic work provided thus far. Is there anyway your publication can be linked to travel agents who provide vacation packages for foreigners to Cuba? If those million or so Canadians who vacation to Cuba on an annual basis had a better insight of what is really happening on the tropical island perhaps they may be more inclined to help and most certainly be more informed.

None, I actually like it

“Well, I haven’t thought about it carefully. I will give it some thought. Please leave a channel open for that purpose.”

Personal stories on the emigration of your people and on the ground information on the pulse of Cubans moving forward this year.

As I’m a fan of the Diaries, I would like to see more of those Diaries. But, given the Cuban government’s increasing interference in actual journalism, I understand it must be nearly impossible to get new writers on your staff.

Should you do brief presentations on Latin American history?

Where are all the Castro sycophants these days? I don’t have the foggiest idea as to how you could encourage their readership and comments.

We hope you are able to continue as you have been doing. Thank you for the long hours of dedication, organization and hard work that goes into editing a DAILY news publication. Thank you for making an English translation available.

We realize your work and the work of others at Havana Times does not come without personal expense, threat and sacrifice.

The global trend away from democracy frightens me as I have mentioned, so I would like to hear more about successes–on climate change, on how women and peace workers change the world little by little. I would like to learn more about ways to engage in socially-responsible investing. Who are those smaller companies employing technology to make a better world?

How can we improve?

Please continue on this journey of journalism! I have been a faithful reader for 10+ years!

If feasible, I would suggest a “Where are they now?” type of column. It could provide readers with information about past HT writers as well as others who have been in the HT spotlight but dropped out of sight. I would be interested in hearing brief “life updates” from former writers I used to follow, such as Alfredo Fernandez, Daisy Valera, Dariela Aquique, Dmitri Prieto, Erasmo Calzadilla, Graham Sowa, etc. I am also curious about people who were in the news, like Yunior Garcia. Are they all in the U.S. now?

When I began reading the website in 2017, there were articles from someone that worked for the Cuban government (or at least agreed with the Cuban lawmakers). As much as I disagreed with him…and sometimes I even seethed at seeing his writing…I respected that he took the time to write discortent views, knowing he was in “enemy territory”. And, of course, I much enjoyed reading the “Comments” opposing his article! 🙂

“In terms of improvement, I don’t see another means than: Making changes through trial and error. And implementing changes that are more economical and/or easier or less traumatic or cumbersome. Although every change always adds a level of complexity.”

Read more from Circles Robinson here on Havana Times.