Cuba's independent journalists have always been close to my heart.
And not just because I am Cuban and I am a journalist.
They are deserving of respect and admiration because without their reports from Cuba and from the front lines of the struggle for liberty, the world would know far less about the reality of life on the island today.
And this blog, which relies heavily on those reports, would not be possible.
Cuba's independent journalists, as individuals and as a group, have paid a heavy price, with arrests, beatings and worse, but they persevere and they thrive, ever more committed to their vocation and to the cause they serve.
So it was heartening to learn that another independent news agency, made up of some of Cuba's best known journalists and other activists, has organized in eastern Cuba.
Pedazos de la Isla has the story:
In an island where its rulers try to control the flow information with an iron grip, another important step towards freedom was taken on Tuesday October 4th, in the city of Guantanamo, Cuba, when activists from the Eastern Democratic Alliance launched ADO-Press, an independent news agency of this opposition group. This agency, with its headquarter in Eastern Cuba, joins the group of various independent news agencies that report what truly occurs in the country.
Independent journalist and blogger and also member of this new agency, Luis Felipe Rojas Rosabal was present and reported that there were 18 activists in the home of Isael Poveda Silva, where the event was held.
According to Rojas, who in addition serves as a correspondent for ADO-Press, “the first objective of the organization is to let everyday Cubans know the reality of what occurs in Cuba, without ideological inclinations, considering that the state-run media responds only to one political party and does not respectfully represent the people“. The activist added that in order to be that voice the agency will report news about social problems that directly affect ‘everyday’ Cubans, such as issues of housing, jobs, health, education, along with the human rights crisis on the island which also affects all inhabitants.
Read the rest here.
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