Suspended or Censored?

Suspended or Censored? / Cubanet, Miriam Celaya
Posted on March 28, 2015

The members of the Taliban of the Cuban official web Reflejos, offended
by the presence of an independent site like 14Ymedio should be
celebrating: after a week of putting up with such dangerous neighbors,
it withdrew the Yoani Sanchez's daily from its platform. Authorities
have demonstrated their inability to stand the test of freedom of the press.

Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, MIAMI, Florida, 27 March 2015 — The members of
the Taliban of Reflejos, the Cuban government-sponsored website,
offended by the presence of an independent site like 14Ymedio should be
celebrating. After a week of putting up with such dangerous neighbors,
the authorities gave censure the all clear, in virtue of which 14ymedio
has been "suspended or mothballed" because, in this era of technology
and communications, euphemisms are also updated — it will no longer be
able to be viewed on a platform which describes itself as "inclusive".

Thus, while 14ymedio, the digital newspaper, launched from Cuba and in
which several independent journalists on the Island collaborate or are
involved, has demonstrated its ability to make use of any possible
opening that facilitates access to its pages by Cubans from within Cuba,
the authorities have shown their inability to stand the test of freedom
of the press and differing opinions, particularly when participants have
the moral authority of having experienced, on a daily and firsthand
basis, the realities they narrate, report, or comment on.

We must acknowledge, however, that the kids from "Reflejos"
demonstrated, in addition to their "revolutionary intransigence" and
their combative ability — taking into account that they are soldiers and
spend their existence fighting symbolic battles — exemplary discipline
to obediently follow the chain of command, which also brings to the
surface their peculiar concept of autonomy and decision-power to manage
their own website. And they still call themselves "free".

Mercenaries at the service of the dictatorship?

Not necessarily. Or not all of them, for there are always useful idiots.
It is known that the piñata of official patronage has its gradations, is
limited, and extremely fickle. Today they take notice, tomorrow they
won't, as befits a system that has established its existence (not its
success, as some claim) on the standardization of mediocrity. That's the
reason fidelity tends to substitute for talent in Cuba, and thinking is
not only a heavy burden, but a dangerous pastime.

So let's not be too hard on the little Talibans. Perhaps the hosts of
"Reflections" are only members of a declining sect, worshipers of a
regime that soon will leave them very disappointed.

For now, we can imagine the meetings that had to be stirred up at all
levels and with "all factors" to analyze what measures would be taken
against the counterrevolutionary intruders until the anointed "at the
top" gave the censorship order… that is, the "suspension." The truth is
that those who control the dominion could not even decide for
themselves, hence 14ymedio survived for a whole week on the official
website. It is axiomatic that absence of freedom is so rooted in Cuba
that the more loyal you are to the authorities, the harder the
authorities enslave you.

But censorship is not only applied against 14ymedio, but also against
freedom of access to the same privileged members of the sect who have
the ability to establish a blog and a certain level of access to some
websites that are tolerated by the government. Who knows if, at this
point, some of the more novice and restless slaves, or the lesser
bilious readers, might be wondering whether it would be more effective
to destroy the internal counterrevolution by allowing Cubans to access
our sites, to discover for themselves the lies that the vile
"mercenaries" at the service of a foreign power – who inexplicably
continue to exercise journalism — are trying to pull the wool over their
eyes, most likely with the malicious intent of surrendering the country
to imperialism; which is just, more or less, the work that the
General-President is involved in with all his might.

Note: Miriam Celaya, a freelance Cuban journalist based in Havana, is
visiting Miami.

Translated by Norma Whiting

Source: Suspended or Censored? / Cubanet, Miriam Celaya | Translating
Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/suspended-or-censored-cubanet-miriam-celaya/