COM 224T: mass media & societY
Travel Course to Cuba
It is hard to image that Cuba is only 90 miles off the coast of Key West FLA when it felt like a world away. Going to Cuba was as though we stepped back in time or into a parallel universe with 50s cars driving around, lack of internet, and a government controlled state. Everything was so different, yet, people like Riko, our tour guide, made our transition into a foreign society a much more enjoyable, relatable, and understandable experience. When we first arrive in Cuba we went on a walking tour of Old Havana. I remember thinking to myself that one my guide really looks like Will Smith and two that some parts of the city were very fancy for a place that has been under an embargo for decades. For outside the capital, which looks very similar to ours, were well kept 50s cars and coconut taxis (two person taxis shaped like coconuts) waiting to take people around the city. It was as if we were on the set of The Great Gatsby (2013) getting ready to shoot the movie! We learned a brief background of the city as well as some basics procedures in the country. One explanation I found particularity usefully to understand was why American dollars are taxed so high in Cuba. It was explained to us that because Cuban’s could not use the USD to directly pay for things in turn Americans would have to pay a penalty to use our money in Cuba. While some of the tax may have to do with getting back at us the tax is understandable since Cubans have to sell our currency to another country before they can profit from it. This helped us to fully understand why we lose 13% when converting the USD. It did not take long to truly see how different the country was when our first media outlet stop was a state ran radio station called Radio Havana Cuba. From the moment we walked in the lobby it was propaganda city. Propaganda being a tactic to gain support for the government using real or fake facts (Chapter 12). Pictures of Fidel Castro completely covered the walls and stickers were placed around the room that said “groupo de propaganda.” This really made us feel as though we were far away from home. Even the tour guide at the radio station was filled with pro-Cuba ideas. He was a tough looking old man who insisted that he speaks about the radio station rather than our translator because “you can translate words but not the heart”. The guide at the station kept insisting that they were not actually censored and free to do what they want. Yet, when asked about where they get their stories from they would not comment. It was later inferred that he was actually the man that sensors/watches over the radio. While it is true that the tour had a sketchy vibe we still learned a lot about the radio station, such as the station it is government funded/ran. According to chapter 16, “Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression”, the radio, as well various other news outlets are under the communist or state model. In other words, they are ran under state control because the government believes that the news outlets should only carry state values. This is completely different to America’s idea of expression called the social reasonability model which news outlets are “typically privately owned and encourages issues and events in context with coverage of society’s range of economic classes and social groups (Chapter 16).” Chapter 16 also states that under the state model some government criticism is allowed but nothing that would undermined the states authority is tolerated. This was seen true to be true at Trabajadores newspaper, where to my surprise, as many others, they were loosely allowed to criticize or question the government. However, they would never truly say anything negative/bad about the Revolution. For instance, there was a section in the newspaper where workers could write concerns with the city that needed fixing but not bad mouth the government while doing so. This way issues could be brought up to the government without causing any controversies (only true way to really criticize the government). Another thing that personally surprised me about the newspaper is that while our tour was going on reporters were taking workshops to learn how to use social media. This is similar to American journalist who also have to learn new platforms to spread their stories. The Cuban paper learning social media is particularly interesting considering many people in Cuba still lack an accessible/affordable way to access the internet. The guide at the newspaper explained that the reason they are training (to use social media) now is so when Wifi fully becomes available they will be ahead of the game. Even if they are able to connect to the internet in the future since the paper works and is funded through the revolution they don’t dream of say anything bad about them. For they simply advocate for people not muckraking or look for scandalous stories. America is very different in the sense that newspapers are the watch dogs of the government and do not serve as the mouth piece for government. For many journalists in America strive to keep the government in check. In fact, newspapers have played the role in sustaining democracy and freedom, more so than any other mass media (Chapter 14). Through investigative journalism, where reporters look for corruption in the government and business, many different scandals and wrongdoings have been exposed. While we are nowhere near Cuba’s restrictions we still live in a time where the press is being scrutinized by the government. Even our country’s president, Donald Trump, makes sure to delegitimize any negative press, which is eerily similar to something the Cuban government does. While it is great that we have this freedom to say what we like on the flip side American newspapers are struggling to find a profitable way to convert to digital platforms. The job security is not certain here while in Cuba because the government runs the press this is not an issue. The jobs will be there as long as the government needs it to be. A mix of a Cuban and American news outlets would be On Cuba, a magazine based in Miami with a branch in Havana, Cuba. On Cuba is a bimonthly magazine printed in both Spanish and English that discusses both Cuban and Cuban American culture, news, and events. They have freedom to say what they like and even get criticism by the Cuban government from time to time. As Claudia, our magazine tour guide, explained the magazine once wrote about a film and why it was banned from a Cuban movie festival. For some reason the government did not like that information being published and in turn twisted the magazines intentions. The Revolution insisted that On Cuba was trying to overshadow the death of Fidel when that was not the case at all. This was a way for the government to try to villainizing the media source, just like Trump does here. With 350 workers On Cuba is able to cover many different topics, such as the first North American cruise ship to arrive in Cuba, in real time. While the magazine hard copy is not distributed in Cuba, since they are not Cuban government run, they still have articles online that roughly get 25,000 visitors a day. The website is constructed using pirated software just like many other places in Cuba use. For the Cuban people, while in Cuba, do not have to listen to copy right laws since they do not exist and are free to download and share things through El Paquete. El Paquete or the packet is an “illegal” but overlooked product that pirates things from the internet. The packet is basically an external hard drive filled with American movies, magazines, T.V. shows, software, games and much more which allows the Cuban people to share information with each other (without the use of the internet). While the product is hypothetically illegal there is an entire system surrounding it. With more than 300 carriers, all requiring licenses, they can cover a wide range of customers. For instance, each carrier approximately has 50 customers a week, making it a very lucrative business. Bringing in about $100 a week for the carriers, which is more than government jobs which pay $24 per month. The income makes the risk of being caught by the government worth it for many. Despite the money coming in there is a controversy as to where the packet originates from. Since the Cuban people simply do not have access to internet with the speed and capacity to download such content. Some people speculate that it may even come from the government as a way to distract criticizes from everyday problems. While there might be a conspiracy around it, this is still a major way people in Cuba are able to connect. In fact, advertisements are even sneaking their way into the packet. People found a way to encode ads directly before movies and T.V. shows as a new way to promote their business (direct advertising). Furthermore, since the actual media is run by the government the packet is the only way for small businesses to put themselves out there. Which is unlike America considering we are very much a commercialized/consumer driven country. For big businesses in America literally spend millions to promote their products on various different platforms – from newspapers to billboards and everything in between. For example, a Super Bowl commercial lasting 30 seconds can cost as much as 5 million dollars! American’s can hardly even use the bathroom without seeing an ad on the inside of a stall. For this reason many Cubans fear that if the embargo is completely lifted Cuba will too become overtly commercialized. Even though ads may be seen as a nuisance, for instance I have an ad blocker on my computer specifically so I do not have to see them before I watch a video on YouTube, according to Chapter 11 Advertising and Commercial Culture, ads are a “support system” for our mass media systems. Ads allow the companies to create new costumers and target specific audiences. We as a culture, have accepted many ads into our lives without even realizing it. For many products are placed (product placement) throughout movies, T.V. shows, music videos and commercials seeming to look normal. Taking a look at pop singer, Ariana Grande’s, Bang Bang music video, a Beats Pill is strategically placed throughout as if to just look like it’s playing music and not discreetly promoting the product. To me ads being in situations like that are not a problem since it is merely in the background of what we are viewing. Even though Cuba was very different from America it was worth the trip. Although most of us somehow got sick by the end (and missed internet connection) the time there was well spent. We were able to learn firsthand how differently a “non-free” state run country functions. To me being able to go to a place that has a negative connotation and subsequently meet some of the nicest people was beyond worth it. Our tour guide(s), for the most part, were open and friendly and not closed off and stiff like many of us were lead to believe they would be. Questions about the government were often answered and people were not scare to speak their minds. Our tour guide Riko even told us that he “supports the government but knows that it is not perfect”. Over all I would recommend Cuba to someone who is interested in seeing a different form of government than ours. However, there are a few thing I wish I someone told me before going to the country. First and most importantly was bring toilet paper because must places do not supply it (or charge extra for it). Secondly, make sure you keep loose change around because if you do not have money to go to the bathroom either you hold it or end up getting some mean stares. And lastly keep an open mind because even though we may hear negative things about Cuba, the people do not reflect those ideas at all. Over all quick breakdown;
Propaganda in Cuba/Chapter 12 D: Propaganda used to convince audience of both factual/fake information A: Used by a strong man or state government who want to control how their people understand certain issues I: Creates a warped view of society E: Not ideal E: Learning about it firsthand in Cuba made me realize that not everyone is on board with it/pay attention to it and that even with propaganda being all over the place many people still are free to talk about the govt as they please (just not publish it). Chapter 16; Communist/State Model D: Communist model = under state control because the government believes that the news outlets should only carry state values A: Censorship happens under this model if something goes against the government I: Creates a not free press E: Not ideal E: Even though communism has negatives, such as limiting criticism and not being able to say anything bad about gov, it still provides jobs for many….although the pay is not that good….could work out a better system then 2+2 = 5 Chapter 11: Ads D: Ads are a support system for MM in America while they are not a part of the Cuban MM since it is government ran A: Ads are look down on by many Cubans who fear commercialization I: Harder for small businesses to get word out E: Not ideal E: With the use of the packet, ads are finding their way into Cuban society. Commercialization may not be as bad as Cubans envision it. Works Cited Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. Media & Culture: Mass Communication in a Digital Age. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2016. Print.
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