Sun-Sentinel's Havana Bureau Provides Balanced Coverage of Cuba, Dissidents

Abstract

When the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel's new full-time correspondent debuted her weekly news column 2001, she focused on an independent Cuban journalist, highlighting the stark contrast between working conditions for journalists the United States and those Cuba. In the first installment of Cuba Notebook, reporter Vanessa Bauza presented a vision of independent journalist Raul Rivero typing a story his modest Havana apartment.' Rivero, 55, had his previous typewriter seized by the state police. His stories must be published abroad or posted on the Internet because the constitution of his native only allows tor freedom of the press in keeping with the objectives of a society.2It is into this socialist society that U.S. news organizations have slowly been re-emerging since the late 1990s, thanks to licenses granted by both the U.S. and Cuban governments. There had been no permanent U.S. media presence since 1%9, when Fidel Castro's regime expelled the Associated Press from the island nation.1 The re-establishment of U.S. news bureaus came with goals of encouraging democracy by the U.S. government, criticism from the Cuban exile community and promises of objectivity by news organizations.This article compares these goals, criticisms and promises with news reported by the Sun-Sentinel's correspondent stationed Cuba.U.S. Press Coverage Of CubaOn Jan. 1, 1959, Fidel Castro and his rebel army overthrew the U.S.-supported government of Fulgencio Batista.4 The U.S. press' role the revolution was scrutinized both during and after the revolution. The New York Times correspondent Herbert L. Matthews said at the annual conference of the American Society of Newspaper Editors 1960 that he had never seen a big story so misunderstood, so misinterpreted and so badly handled as the Cuban Revolution.5Ten years after the revolution, the Cuban government expelled the Associnh'd Press from the island, marking what would be the end of a permanent U.S. news presence for three decades. In November 1996,CNN convinced the Cuban government to allow it to set up a full-time bureau on the island. Because of the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba, CNN required permission from the U.S. government to set up a branch of its business on the island.In February 1997, the administration of President Bill Clinton announced that it would approve the applications of 10 news organizations. The Office of Foreign Asset Control granted special licenses to CNN, ABC News, CBS News, the Miami Hernhi, the Associated Press, Dow Jones & Company, the Chicago Tribune, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Univision and Johns Hopkins University.*1 They would have the opportunity to join approximately 87 other foreign news organizations operating at the time, including the BBC and Reuters.7 Only CNN, the Associated Press, the Sun-Sentinel and the Dallas Morning News (a part of the Tribune Company) would be successful setting up bureaus.The Clinton administration's motive for issuing the licenses was articulated by press secretary Michael D. McCurry:The administration believes that news gathering and reporting by U.S. news organizations will keep international attention focused on the situation and on the realities of economic and political conditions there and will bring greater public exposure to those who are advocating a democratic change Cuba.8CNN opened its Havana bureau March 1997.9 The Associated Press was next to gain approval by the Cuban Foreign Ministry late 1998.10 The Chicago Tribune, the Sun-Sentinel and the Dallas Morning News were approved by September 2000. The Dallas Morning News opened its bureau 2001 and closed 2005.11 The Sun-Sentinel opened its bureau January 2001 and is currently the only daily newspaper with a bureau Cuba. The Fort Lauderdalebased paper has an average daily circulation the Fort Lauderdale/Boca Raton area of 259,941 ; its average Sunday circulation for this area is 347,726. …