a Habana, lunes 23 de noviembre de 2009. Año 13 / Número 329
Journalism vs. Phobia
By Katia Siberia García

A CubaNews translation.
Edited by Walter Lippmann.

What are they hiding, those who refuse to be photographed and interviewed? What are they afraid of, those who resort to provisions and consent forms to stop our reporters and photographers from doing their job? How to work for a newspaper and achieve immediacy? How to turn the right to be informed into daily routine?

Such questions might elicit some answers from the same ones who believe that the revolutionary press is not sufficiently intelligent to take responsibility for its articles, regardless of the objective and subjective nature of events in Cuba day-to-day.

In so doing they also disregard a 2007 resolution issued by the Political Bureau to improve media efficiency, where it says “no one is entitled to withhold information from us other than military and state secrets".

And yet they’re everywhere, those public servants, all but unapproachable and only available in official functions and meetings; administrative staff hidden behind the U.S. blockade and political secrecy; managers always ready to whip up a string of “whereas’s and therefore’s”; PROs with an urge to be go-betweens…

For instance, we wanted to take some pictures at one of ETECSA’s enterprises in Havana –this one is at 551 Vento Avenue, Cerro municipality– for a brochure now making the rounds of Cuba that shows idle equipment and sings the praises of the company’s great job of getting rid of everything they have no use for. But we were kept out of the premises, never mind that we came intending to beat the drums for their results. The head of security, a manager, the woman in charge of the items fallen into disuse… they all stuck to their guns: without prior warning, our visit was a no-no. Even the deputy director’s office sent word to “hold the fort”. They very kindly asked us to come again… not without coordinating the visit first, of course.

Once a Granma daily reporter was prevented from taking photographs in the high school located at Paseo Avenue and 21st because an adamant principal stated in no uncertain terms that “first he needed a permit signed by the vice minister of Education himself".

Likewise, in our hard currency stores, where everything is in full sight, it’s forbidden to take photos or gain access to any information if the reporter doesn’t produce “the requisite arrangements".

Cameras are taboo in daycare centers, hospitals, polyclinics, and even the funeral home at Calzada Ave. and K St., where not even the manager could green-light a photo session at an area under repair without “orders from above".

And there’s more: one of our reporters could not get her camera rolling to capture the joy that prevailed on the first day of class at the Juan Manuel Márquez High School in Marianao municipality simply because she had no official permission to record the event on her newspaper. Oddly enough, it was the school principal who said so, not Granma‘s editor-in-chief.

Why so many obstacles to take shots and receive information? Truth is, one would think with so many people hiding behind the lack of a written permit that a journalist “without authorization” is nothing but a bad influence.

ranma.cubaweb.cu/2009/11/23/nacional/artic04.html