Top Lobbying Group for US Broadcasters to Visit Cuba Amid Criticism of State-Dominated Media

Top Lobbying Group for US Broadcasters to Visit Cuba Amid Criticism of
State-Dominated Media
Castro regime continues to control all information on island, persecute
journalists
BY: Daniel Wiser
October 22, 2015 5:35 pm

One of the top lobbying groups for U.S. broadcasters will visit Cuba
next week to promote business opportunities, even as the Cuban
government continues to be assailed for its control of the island's
media and abuse of journalists.

Margaret Cassilly, vice president of international programs at the
National Association of Broadcasters, will travel to Havana next week to
attend the Cuban Radio & Television International Conference &
Exposition, Politico reported.

Cassilly said the conference "presents an extraordinary opportunity to
open doors and facilitate future business opportunities for both Cuban
broadcasters and U.S. suppliers in the media and entertainment industry."

The National Association of Broadcasters donates hundreds of thousands
of dollars to political parties and candidates and lobbies Congress on
behalf of U.S. radio and television outlets.

The Obama administration has promoted partnerships between U.S. and
Cuban businesses as part of its efforts to normalize relations with
President Raul Castro's government and foster a more open economy and
political system on the island.

However, critics say such collaboration will not result in more freedom
for the Cuban people as the communist government continues to tighten
its grip on civil society, especially the media.

"The trip to Cuba by the NAB will result in absolutely no benefits for
the Cuban people," said Jose Cardenas, a former senior official in the
George W. Bush administration's National Security Council and specialist
on Latin America, in an interview. "It is against the interests of the
Castro regime to have better communications among the Cuban people."

"It's why they disallow widespread Internet use, why they censor the
media, why they disallow any independent media, and, in fact, persecute
any Cubans who attempt to practice independent media and journalism," he
added.

A spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters declined to
comment on the Cuba visit.

The Cuban government owns all of the major media outlets in the country
and places severe restrictions on freedom of information, according to
the group Reporters Without Borders. Cuban authorities only accredit
foreign journalists who are not critical of the government and "continue
to persecute journalists and bloggers who criticize the regime," the
group says. Cuba ranks 169 out of 180 countries in the group's World
Press Freedom Index for 2015.

One recent broadcast on state-run CubaTV presented favorable coverage of
a meeting this week between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad. The outlet said the two leaders "addressed
the issue of the ongoing fight against terrorism in Syria," while other
news organizations have reported that Russian forces have mainly
targeted U.S.-backed rebels and other opposition groups rather than
Islamic State terrorists. There have also been reports that Cuban
military personnel are on the ground in Syria to assist Russia and Assad.

Cuban authorities detained Reinaldo Escobar, editor of the dissident
news and opinion website 14ymedio.com, last December as part of a
continuing crackdown against independent journalists. Escobar is the
husband of prominent blogger Yoani Sanchez.

Cuban police have also detained hundreds of dissidents in recent months
as the Obama administration said it would press its new partner
government to protect human rights.

Any U.S. businesses that agree to partner with Cuban broadcasters will
likely be forced by the government to censor their content, Cardenas
said, creating a restrictive news environment for foreign media
companies that is similar to other countries such as China.

New U.S.-Cuban media initiatives would also undermine Radio Marti and TV
Marti, the U.S. news services that were established 30 years ago to
provide more independent reporting on the island, he said. The Castro
regime officially prohibits anyone from listening to Marti's broadcasts
and has attempted to block its signal.

"Any U.S. company that would engage with the Castro regime is going to
be self-censoring what information could be shared with the Cuban
people," Cardenas said. "It undercuts the freedom of communications that
Radio Marti and TV Marti embody."

The Cuban government gains two benefits from closer collaboration with
U.S. companies, Cardenas said. The regime can promise future profits to
businesses that lobby Congress to lift the longstanding U.S. embargo,
and it can bring more technology to the island that will make it a more
attractive hub for foreign companies.

"The Castro regime's interest is in making it easier for foreign
businesses to conduct business in Cuba," he said. "That doesn't benefit
the Cuban people. That's for the regime's benefit."

Source: Top Lobbying Group for US Broadcasters to Visit Cuba Amid
Criticism of State-Dominated Media - Washington Free Beacon -
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/top-lobbying-group-for-u-s-broadcasters-to-visit-cuba-amid-criticism-of-state-dominated-media/