That’s Life!

That's Life! / Fernando Damaso
Posted on March 18, 2014

The Day of the Cuban Press was celebrated on 14 March, a day that
commemorates the first edition of the newspaper Patria, directed by José
Martí, in the year 1892. However, the celebration is exclusive — as is
to be expected — the only participants are the government press, which
has changed very little since its last congress. It continues to be
complacent with the authorities who pay for it, as well as triumphalistic.

Some things–considered critiques–have been tried to improve its
deteriorated image, they carefully balance a little salt and a little
pepper in their articles and commentaries, to avoid calling the
attention of the censors and other problems. Among these are the Letters
to the Editor in the newspaper Granma, the same feature in Juventude
Rebelde (Rebel Youth), and "Cuba Says" on the TV News. Nevertheless they
can't hide the government's footprints.

The awards to the most outstanding journalists were for the most part
given to the most-recognized defenders of the government line, in the
written press as well as for radio, television and digital. Their
writings and commentaries, commonly, seem to respond to
journalism-by-direction rather than investigations, which seem to be
missing.

For now, it seems that the problems and dissatisfactions of ordinary
Cubans are only voiced by the independent journalists and the bloggers
who, as is to be expected, were not considered in this celebration,
along with some alternative publications, which is quite discriminatory.

Ironically, on this day of praise, the underground press that existed
during the years of the Batista dictatorship appeared; a press which,
like now, opposed the regime, exposed its lies and offered the truth,
forming no part of the recognized press. That's life!

17 March 2014

Source: That's Life! / Fernando Damaso | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/thats-life-fernando-damaso/