Could the New York Times’ Cuba Coverage be Changing?

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Photo: Jose Goitia for The New York Times
The Cuban community – those on and off the island – certainly have every right to take the New York Times to task for its Castro/Cuba-related coverage over the course of the last 50+ years, starting with the daily’s number one propaganda artist for the regime, Herbert Matthews. The Times’ history of tacit support for the dictatorship could be changing however. James C. McKineley Jr.’s piece from this morning was surprisingly honest, factual and reflective of the realities on the ground faced by Cuban youth struggling to communicate and disseminate information to the outside world.

Cyber-Rebels in Cuba Defy State’s Limits

HAVANA — A growing underground network of young people armed with computer memory sticks, digital cameras and clandestine Internet hookups has been mounting some challenges to the Cuban government in recent months, spreading news that the official state media try to suppress.
Last month, students at a prestigious computer science university videotaped an ugly confrontation they had with Ricardo Alarcón, the president of the National Assembly.
Mr. Alarcón seemed flummoxed when students grilled him on why they could not travel abroad, stay at hotels, earn better wages or use search engines like Google. The video spread like wildfire through Havana, passed from person to person, and seriously damaged Mr. Alarcón’s reputation in some circles.
Something similar happened in late January when officials tried to impose a tax on the tips and wages of employees of foreign companies. Workers erupted in jeers and shouts when told about the new tax, a moment caught on a cellphone camera and passed along by memory sticks.
“It passes from flash drive to flash drive,” said Ariel, 33, a computer programmer, who, like almost everyone else interviewed for this article, asked that his last name not be used for fear of political persecution. “This is going to get out of the government’s hands because the technology is moving so rapidly.”
Read the entire article here.

6 thoughts on “Could the New York Times’ Cuba Coverage be Changing?”

  1. When the NYT publicly admits and apologizes for its LONG and AWFUL record of “covering” Cuba, I’ll think about changing my opinion of it. Of course, it never will admit any such thing, let alone apologize. Given its reputation and monumental pretensions, its standards IN PRACTICE are absolutely scandalous, not to mention shameful and disgraceful.

  3. The line that video of a flummoxed Alarcón “seriously damaged Mr. Alarcón’s reputation in some circles” makes it sound like they’re still operating from the presumption that the Cuban people are generally pro communist and it’s a minority that stirs up talk of democracy.
    “ay que feo lucio, yo pensaba que el era tan buen tipo” If someone wants to translate that to Spanish I won’t be offended.

  4. Seems like something like “Marti-PC” with satellite wireless feed would help. Any real Techies out there
    that might know how to make this happen? -S-

  5. It is very important that we supply the young people in Cuba with Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Printers and anything that helps to get info out.
    I’ve being doing this for years and as much as I can.

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