New Cuban Journalists’ Congress Announced

HAVANA TIMES — The Cuban Journalists Association (UPEC) announced on Saturday it plans for its ninth congress, which will be held starting July 15 of next year and will mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of that organization. The membership was called on to begin actively participating in various stages of pre-congress activities.

“In this process we must ask what kind of revolutionary journalism is required for Cuban socialism today given the major changes that are taking place in our society,” states the call, which also criticized reporting that is “repetitive, boring and lengthy.”

Policy decisions for the island’s journalism are supposed to be set by their Congress.

The announcement was made at a National Committee meeting of the organization, which was attended by Vice President Esteban Lazo and the head of the Ideological Department of the Central Committee of Cuban Communist Party, Rolando Alfonso.

The last Congress was held in July 2008 and many of the same issues were discussed but little concrete changes took place in the coming period. Censorship and self-censorship remain trademarks of the Cuban media.