Herald Publisher: A Free Press is Crucial

In order to have democracy, a country must enjoy freedom of the press. The past week has been painful for many in the Cuban community and for employees at The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. Many have questioned the motives behind the dismissal of two El Nuevo Herald reporters and a freelance writer who did a significant amount of work for us while simultaneously working for and being paid by Radio and TV Martí.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/15539355.htm

Comments

[Walter Lippmann]

If it's wrong for journalists at the MIAMI HERALD and EL NUEVO HERALD to take money from the U.S. government for producing anti-Castro propaganda here in the United States, isn't it also wrong for journalists in Cuba to take money from the U.S. government to produce anti-Castro propaganda over there on the island?

It's a question worth pondering...

Walter Lippmann
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
http://www.walterlippmann.com

[roberto escarpenter]

i agree but where is my posting i just sent ?

[roberto escarpenter]

yes again where is my posting ?
Censorship ??

[roberto escarpenter]

yes again where is my posting ?
Censorship ??

[John Longfellow aka Lou Dobbs]

To the Herald bosses, Oscar, Ana, and the others. The conversations which takes/took place here are much less than what happens in the Herald message boards, and the Sun-Sentental, in regards to Cuban issues.

I dont know why Oscar site is being blocked, but it is absolutely silly and childish. I cant see that it is Oscars doing b/c of the name calling. As he always gotten called nasty little names by Val Prieto and Henry Gomez.

As far as the "so-called" threats, i saw some tough talk. But i dont think no one took them seriously, i wouldnt have. But i am not Cuban, and im not Oscar.

I actually wanna here from Val, Henry, Manual, and some of the other right wing, hard core communist fighters, who frolic here in Miami. I am starting to actually miss em a lil bit.

This of course, if some of them can refrain from hollering about eating some certain writers livers with yams, like they are freggin Hannibal Lector or something.

So, if you got this blog on lock down, let it up. I think Val Prieto, would even like this blog to go back to the way it used to be.

Besides, Diaz, why should Oscar get to read all of the exile mail? How many people did Oscar personally fire? Watcha say, none? Watcha say, he just wrote the story? Watcha say, Manual was starting to swing that battleship around, and was smartly figuring things out? And now all of the sudden, a blog that Oscar never paid attention to, that was for our own personal whats up, is blocked? Watcha say, cant hear yah? The blog silence is defeaning. Probably by design. I want to see what Manual has to say about you Diaz. We heard all about the horrible, alleged super-duper top secret, hush-hush, convert, special ops, spy in Oscar. But, i would like to hear Manual thoughts about you Diaz. Really, how does a man get to run a major daily with absolutely no experience?

[a thought...]

Enough already...change the topic. Hypocrisy is everywhere. And why are my posts appearing doubled?

[a thought...]

Where are my comments? I haven't really said anything inflammatory. I just said, "Let's move on" and "hypocrisy is everywhere."

This used to be fun....

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

I know a way out for you, Oscar. I know that you are looking for a way out.

The story is told that during the last days of the Raj in India, in the heady days preceeding independence, a Hindu man killed a Muslim boy in a riot. Repenting of his deed, the man approached the Mahatma and asked if there was anything he could do to avoid punishment in the afterlife (you know, perpetual reincarnations into lower and creapier creatures). Gandhi told him that he knew a way out this hell for him. The Hindu was told to adopt a homeless Muslim boy and raise him as his own son. But, one more thing, said Gandhi: You must raise him as a Muslim. The man, crying, fell on his knees at the feet of the Mahatma, for now, at least, he was not hopeless: there was a way out from the pit of despair that his conscience had condemned him to.

There is a way out for you, too, Oscar. Your hell is the obliquy that has been heaped upon you by foes and friends alike; the isolation; the pangs of conscience; the pressing belief that you have railroaded your own career by serving the ends of your superiors, who, given the loyalty they have thus far shown their employees, cannot be expected to show you much more, especially when the choice is between their careers and yours.

Your way out of your private hell is a lot easier than the Hindu's. All you have to do is affix your name to the Open Letter calling for the reinstatement of the three fired El Nuevo Herald journalists. Already, 26 of your colleagues have signed, disassociating themselves from the actions of Jesus Diaz. Unless you wish to continue being portrayed as his hatchet man, I strongly suggest that you separate your reporting from his actions.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

The analogy of the battleship was very imaginative, John; it does, indeed, take a great deal of skill and finesse to swing a battleship around (especially one with my tonnage).

Simple justice demands, however, that when there has been an assassination (a character assassination, in this case) that you don't hold the weapon (or tool) responsible, but the one who wielded it.

Oscar's story of Sept. 8, I believe, was terribly flawed; under-researched and overgrasping, full of errors of fact and omissions. But it wasn't the story that got the journalists fired. The story was merely the occasion to accomplish that end (which, if Diaz is to believed, the Herald had been pursuing for two years).

Oscar's error was to put his own journalistic bona fides at the service of someone who is not a journalist and knows nothing about journalistic ethics (which one learns in the newsroom, not the boardroom). Diaz is an expert on corporate ethics (which is to say, the negation of ethics, indeed, of morality itself).

In today's Nuevo Herald, a 20-year veteran editor, Andrés Reynoso, revealed that he, too, had worked for Radio Martí. Reynoso, however, was not smeared by the paper or fired perhaps because he is opposed to the trade embargo and favors rapprochement with Castro's Cuba. The three who were fired opposed closer ties with Castro. What this shows is that this entire episode did not have anything to do with ethics and everything to do with politics.

What I find particularly offensive is not that they were fired (which is a miscarriage of justice), but the fact that The Herald took it upon itself to destroy their professional reputations in an act that has no precedent in American journalism.

[John Longfellow aka Lou Dobbs]

Manuel,

Help me understand something. Oscar is an "employee" of Diaz, his boss. You said in earlier post, that Oscar's bosses, probably gave him a readied made story to publish under his name. Now, here is where you can assist me, Manuel. What profession, whether it be at McDonald's, the military, or a reporter, can said employee refuse to follow through on an order without severe consequences?

Ok, lets say that Oscar, stood up and said, "No, i will not put my name to this story, i dont want to be unCuban." So what happens to Oscar then?

1) Fired, perhaps.
2) Lost of confidence, probably.
3) Another, young and hungry Cuban-American to write the story, absolutely.

So now, you expect Oscar to apologize to you, Val Prieto, and Henry Gomez. So you will consider him a "real" Cuban. So he can sleep well at night, knowing that Cuban militant exiles, dont think he is "unCuban."

Oscar,if you do apologize for following Diaz's instruction. Guess what? I, and the rest of America will always know you as a Cuban militant exile reporter. Right now, you got Val, Henry, and Manuel on your back. If you wanna sell out to the Cuban militant exiles. Go right ahead. And, i promise you, i will do a blast email, to every one from Lou Dobbs, to DUnderground, DailyKos, to Keith Olberman, to Reuters about your Cuban exile antiAmerican behavior at the Herald. Do you remember when "conservative" Lou Dobbs trashed Oppenheimer for two consecutive weeks? Lou, has a team of ten producers who do nothing but scour hispanic run papers and cities, looking for exactly what unAmerican, hispanic Manual is demanding of you.

You are an American reporter, working in an American city. Militant, radical, Cuban-exile Herald reporter, or an American Herald reporter, which one do you want to follow you around for the next 50 years. You pick my friend. We "Americans" will be watching, and waiting, Oscar.

[Manuel A. Tellechea]

OPEN LETTER TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE McCLATCHY COMPANY AND THE MIAMI HERALD

On Thursday, September 7th, the president of The Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald, Jesus Diaz, arbitrarily fired El Nuevo Herald reporters Pablo Alfonso, Wilfredo Cancio and freelance contributor Olga Connor for an alleged ethics violation. The three offered their professional services to Radio and TV Marti, media financed with federal funds.

We recognize the company’s legal right to act in the way it sees fit. But we hereby make clear our strong disagreement with the irresponsible handling of the article, which damaged without reason the reputation of honest and dedicated colleagues.

Our objections are:

1.- The tone of the article smacks of yellow journalism. The incomplete manner in which the information is presented creates the false impression that the professional work of these colleagues was a clandestine political operation. The comparison with the Armstrong Williams case implies that they were selling the content of their commentaries. There is nothing farther from the truth.

2.- Their collaboration with Radio and TV Marti was a continuation of their professional duties and wasn’t subordinate to government agendas. In the same fashion that The Miami Herald insists that its association with the radio station WLRN, owned by the Miami-Dade public school system, does not compromise its journalist coverage of said entity.

3.- Absent from the story published in The Miami Herald is the fact that the collaboration of these journalists in media financed – totally or partially – by federal funds is common and there are plenty of examples available. The practice isn’t necessarily a violation of ethics of a breach of professional independence.

4.- Journalists from such well known publications as Time or The Hartford Courant receive or have received economic compensation for decades foe their participation on shows by Voice of America, which operates under the same legal and financial framework as Radio and TV Marti.

5.- Contrary to what the article in question states, none of the professionals mentioned had kept secret his or her participation on Radio and TV Marti, which had been consulted with their supervisors. Like many other colleagues, they appeared on both of those media entities with their name and identified as journalists from El Nuevo Herald.

6.- We find unfair the treatment that this company has given three veteran professionals. Cancio and Connor have doctorate degrees, Alfonso is the author of several books on Cuba. Despite a stellar career, none was given the opportunity to defend himself. Asking them to admit to serious accusations at 4 pm, hours before the article was posted online and just after being fired isn’t ethical, it’s not journalistically fair. Especial within the framework of an investigation that began two years ago.

7.- We are truly worried about the harm that this crisis is causing to our fired colleagues’ reputations, that of El Nuevo Herald and that of those journalists that still work there.

We respectfully ask that you reconsider your decision and that you repair before your readers - with the same emphasis that was given to the published article – the damaged caused to these professionals.

1) Jeannete Rivera-Lyles
Reporter
Orlando Sentinel (El Nuevo Herald Alumn)
Orlando, Florida

2) Zoe Valdes
Escritora
Caballero de la Orden de las Artes y las Letras de la Legión de Honor
Paris, Francia

3) Raul Rivero
Poeta y Periodista
Doctor honoris causa/Universidad de Miami
Madrid, Espana

4) Carlos Victoria
Editor de Mesa
El Nuevo Herald

5) Jose Cabaleiro
City Editor
El Nuevo Herald

6) Pedro Portal
Fotoreportero
El Nuevo Herald

7) Emilio Suri Quesada
Escritor y periodista
Miami

8) Prof. Lester Tome
Independent Journalist
The University of the Arts
Philadelphia

9) Janet Comellas
Editora de Mesa
El Nuevo Herald

10) Jeovanny Salamanca
Editor de Deportes
El Nuevo Herald

11) Emilio J. Sanchez
Freelance Journalist
Miami

12) Luis Piedra
Publisher/Editor
Southern Festivals Newspaper
Trebird Publishing
Miami Beach

13) Manolo Hernandez
Editor de Deportes
El Nuevo Herald

14) Félix Lizárraga
Freelance Journalist
Miami

15) Jorge A. Sanguinetty, Ph.D.
President & CEO
DevTech Systemas Inc.
Miami

16) Miguel Rivero
Periodista cubano
Lisboa, Portugal

17) Ileana Medina Hernández
Periodista y profesora
Tenerife, España

18) Juan Abreu
Escritor

19) Juan Carlos Sánchez Reyes
Periodista y Consultor
Islas Canarias, España

20) Dulce María Rodríguez
Profesora de Televisión/Universidad Modelo
Mérida, México

21) Carmelo Mesa-Lago
Catedratico de Servicio Distinguido Emerito en Economia
Universidad de Pittsburgh

22) Marcos Nelson Suarez
Director General
El Hispano News
Dallas, Texas

23) Annette Sánchez (El Nuevo Herald Alumn)
Periodista
Agencia EFE
Miami

24) Rolando Nápoles
Periodista y productor de televisión cubano
Miami

25) Isis Wirth
critica de danza
Munich, Alemania

26) Silvia Dorfsman
Blue Door Fine Arts, Inc.
Miami

27) Maria C. Werlau
Researcher / Writer
Chatham, New Jersey

28) Bertha Mola-Soto
Escritora

29) Jesus Vega
Escritor, traductor y critico
Miami

30) Roberto J. Alvarez
Editor de Mesa
El Nuevo Herald

31) Salvador Gonzalez
Paginador
El Nuevo Herald

32) Félix Mutiz
Profesor
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

33) Manuel A Alvarez Casado
Ingeniero de Comunicaciones
Miami

34) Aracelis Perez
Copy Editor
El Nuevo Herald

35) Yanitzia Canetti
Escritora y editora
Boston, Massachusetts

36) Ketty Rodriguez
Reportera
El Nuevo Herald

37) Viviana Munoz
Reportera
El Nuevo Herald

38) Pablo Diaz Espi
Editor
Diario Encuentro en la Red
Madrid, Espana

39) Federico Rodriguez
Traductor
Miami

40) Raul Rodriguez
Editor de Deportes
El Nuevo Herald

41) German Guerra
Poeta, editor y disenador grafico
El Nuevo Herald

42) Karelia Vazquez
Periodista
Madrid, Espana

43) Adela Junco
Correctora de Estilo
El Nuevo Herald

44) Omero Ciai
Corresponsal para America Latina
La Repubblica
Roma, Italia

45) Rafael Rojas
Historiador y ensayista cubano
Investigador del Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE).
Premio Anagrana de Ensayo 2006.
Ciudad Mexico, Mexico

46) Osmin Martinez
Assistant Copy Desk Chief
El Nuevo Herald

47) Larry Daley
Professor Biochemistry and Biophysics of Plant Germplasm
Corvallis, Oregon

48) Jaums Sutton
Interviewer & assistant producer
AB Independent Productions
Silver Spring, Maryland

49) Agustin Blazquez
Writer & producer/director of the documentay series "Covering Cuba"
AB Independent Productions
Silver Spring, Maryland

50) Orlando Rodríguez (Rossardi)
Poeta y dramaturgo
ex Director y Director Adjunto de Radio Martí
Miami

51) Alberto Muller
Escritor
Miami

52) Luis de la Paz
escritor y periodista
Miami, Florida

53) Milan Balinda (The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald Alumn)
Managing Editor
TABLOID, Belgrade

54) Benigno Dou
Jefe de Redaccion
El Nuevo Herald

55) Rita Martin
Escritora y profesora
Davidson College
Davidson, NC

56) Enrique Artalejo
Ex periodista
Miami

57) Roberto Fina
Ingeniero y profesor
Texas

58) Prof. Silvia Pedraza
University of Michigan
Department of Sociology
Ann Arbor, MI

59) Renay Chinea Diaz
Periodista
Barcelona, España

60) Jaime Bayly
Escritor y periodista
Miami

61) Marta Blanco
Publicitaria
Miami

62) Ernesto Rios
Periodista
Miami

63) Alberto Luzarraga
Ensaista
Summit, New Jersey

64) Henry Louis Gomez
Director de planificación y agencia de publicidad
Miami

65) Dr. Rolando D. H. Morelli
Autor y profesor universitario
Philadelphia, Pa.

66) Cristina Garcia
Editora
Periodico Dimension
New Jersey

67) Andres Garcia
Editor
Periodico Dimension
New Jersey

68) Alberto Hernández Chiroldes, Ph.D.
Profesor, escritor y Jefe de Departamento
Davidson College, North Carolina

69)Francisco Diaz
News Investigator
California

70) Lillian Castañeda
Viuda de Carlos M. Castañeda, Editor Emérito de El Nuevo Herald
Miami

71) Tanya M. Castañeda
Redactora de Publicidad
Coral Gables

72) Dr. Hector Novoa de Armas, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Leuven, Belgica

73) Chaz Mena,
actor/researcher/professor
Hostos College, CUNY
Astoria, NY 11103

74) Maya Islas
poeta
New Jersey-New York

75)Manuel A. Tellechea
Historiador y traductor
New Jersey

76) Armando H. Portela
Editor de mesa
El Nuevo Herald

77) Manuel Rodeiro
Editor
El Nuevo Herald

78) Eliseo Alberto
Escritor y periodista
Ciudad Mexico, Mexico

79) Fausto Canel
Productor
Radio Marti
Miami

80) Marcos Moure
Associate Creative Director
Young & Rubicam
Miami

81) Lourdes Moure Arenas
Educator and Homemaker
Miami

82) Casto Ocando
Reportero
El Nuevo Herald

83) José Prats Sariol
Escritor y ensaista
Ciudad Mexico, Mexico

84) Miguel Cancio
Economista y sociólogo, profesor de sociología
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
Galicia, España)

85) Valentin J. Prieto
Writer, Editor
Babalublog
Miami

86) Orlando Fondevila Suárez
Poeta y redactor de la Revista Hispano Cubana
Madrid

87) Manuel Diaz Martinez
Poeta y periodista
Miembro Correspondiente de la Real Academia Española
Canarias, Espana

88) José Abreu Felippe
Escritor
Miami

89) Bernardo Marques-Ravelo
Escritor y periodista
Miami

90) Miguel Cossio
Director de Noticias
Canal 41 America TV
Miami

91) Alfredo Pong
Caricaturista Editorial y arquitecto
Miami

92) Antonio de la Cova
Indiana University
Indiana

93) Carlos Alberto Montaner
Escritor
Madrid, Espana

94) Baruj Salinas
Artista

95) Sergio Lopez-Miro
Ex miembro de la Junta Editorial de The Miami Herald (1988-91) y antiguo corresponsal de Radio Marti en el Depto. de Estado (1985-87)
Miami

96) Vivian Gude
Periodista independiente
Miami

97) Nicolas Quintana
Arquitecto / Profesor Titular
Universidad Internacional de Florida
Miami

98) Manuel Zayas
Cineasta y periodista independiente
Madrid, España

99) Juan M del Aguila
Profesor de Ciencia Política
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

100) Armando de Armas
Escritor
Miami

101) Andrés Reynaldo.
Columnista y editor de la sección Séptimo Día
El Nuevo Herald

102) Jorge Posada
Editor y traductor independiente
Miami

103) Juan Manuel Salvat
Ediciones Universal
Miami

104) Joaquín Gálvez
Poeta
Miami

105) Daniuska González González
Periodista
Caracas, Venezuela

106) Juan Manuel Cao
Presentador de noticias
Canal 41 América TeVe
Miami

107) Ricardo Pau-Llosa
Poeta, crítico de arte
Miami

108) Luis Marcelino Gómez, Ph.D.
Escritor y profesor universitario
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

109) Virginia Burgos Hernández
Periodista
Quito, Ecuador

110) Ivan Cañas
Free Lance Photographer
Miami

111) Michel D. Suárez Sian
Periodista y escritor
Madrid, España

112) Reinaldo García Ramos
Poeta y periodista
Editor de la revista de poesía Decir del Agua
Miami

113) Adolfo Rivero Caro
Traductor
El Nuevo Herald

114) Carlos A. Aguilera
Escritor
Dresden, Alemania

115) Ramon Fernandez-Larrea
escritor
Miami

116) Diana Alvarez-Amell, Ph.D.
Profesora y Ensayista
South Orange, New Jersey

117) Ruth (Chuny) Montaner
Periodista y productora
Miami

118) Maritza Beato
Sub-Directora,
El Nuevo País

119) Marlene Rodríguez González
Licenciada en filosofía
Ex-profesora de La Universidad de La Habana
Barcelona, España

120) Armando Salazar, DMD
Master of Public Policy Candidate 2008
Harvard University Kennedy School of Government

121) Miguel Rodriguez
Profesor de Economia
Argentina

122) Raul De Cardenas,
Dramaturgo
Premio "Letras de Oro" 1988-1989
Los Angeles, California

123) Leonardo Morales
Editor de Mesa
El Nuevo Herald

124) Antonio Gonzalez
Fisico
Tallahassee FL.

125) Carmen Karin Aldrey
Directora
La Peregrina Magazine
Miami

126) Diego Rodriguez-Arche
Periodista y Documentalista cubano
New Jersey

127) Juan Cueto-Roig
Escritor
Miami

128) Carlos Wotzkow
Colaborador científico
Universidad de Berna
Berna, Suiza

129) Alejandro Rios
Critico de Arte y de Cine
Miami

130) Francisco Moran
Profesor y escritor
Redactor de La Habana Elegante
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX

131) Ivonne Lauando Ching
Periodista ecuatoriana
Miami

132) Eudel Cepero
Florida International University
Miami

133) José Alvarez
Catedrático Adjunto y Emérito
Universidad de la Florida

134) Jorge Ferrer
Escritor y Traductor
Barcelona, España

135) Ernesto Hernández Busto
Escritor
Barcelona, España

136) Ruth Escalona
Actriz
Miami

137) Jose Antonio Tellechea-Mendoza M.D.
Escritor
Higganum, Connecticut

138) Joaquin P. Pujol
Economic Consultant
Former Official International Monetary Fund (Retired)
Arlington, Virginia

139) Dr. Joachim de Posada
International Speaker, Author and Consultant
Puerto Rico

140) Ena Columbie
Editora
La Peregrina Magazine
California

141) Iliana Lavastida
Diario Las America
Miami

142) Natacha Herrera
Periodista y traductora
Nueva York City, NY

143) Madeline Camara
Profesora y critica literaria
University of South Florida

144) Jose Antonio Zarraluqui
Editor de Mesa
El Nuevo Herald

145) Andres Hernandez Alende
Editor de Mesa
El Nuevo Herald

146) Jorge Ebro
Reportero
El Nuevo Herald

147) Ibis Ebro
Productora general
Venevision Internacional
Miami

148) Ricardo Vega
Cineasta
Paris, Francia

149) Grace Giselle Piney Roche
Editora y presidente
Asociacion Cultural con Cuba en la Distancia
Cádiz, España

150) Jose Antonio Evora (El Nuevo Herald Alumn)
Periodista
Miami

151) Nancy Perez Crespo
Periodista
Miami

152) Silvio Mancha
Periodista
Editor/Director Enfoque 3 Magazine
Miami

153) Enrique Rueda
Escritor y profesor universitario
Miami

154) Miguel A. Tudela
Director
Revista Guantanamo en el exilio
Miami

155) Lesbia Orta Varona
Bibliotecaria
Universidad de Miami
Miami

156) Manuel J. Santayana
Associate Instructor
Foreign Languajes Laboratories
Miami Dade College
Miami

157) Fernando Villaverde (The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald Alumn)
Escritor y Periodista

158) Minuca Villaverde (El Nuevo Herald Alumn)
Periodista

159) Mariana Hernández
Viuda del fotoperiodista Eduardo Hernández (Guayo)
Miami

160) Angie Torres Moure
Periodista, escritora y traductora
South Miami

161) Alexis Núñez Oliva
Periodista y Productor Ejecutivo
Televisa
México, D.F

162) Emma Artiles
Escritora y poeta
Ed. Revista "Limón Partido"
Miami

163) David Tamariz
Diseñador gráfico y periodista
El Nuevo Herald

164) Matías Montes Huidobro
Escritor y Profesor Emérito
University of Hawaii

165) Yvonne M. Conde
Escritora y periodista
New York, NY

166) Gina Pellón
Pintora
París, Francia

167) Manuel C. Díaz
Escritor

168) Max Barbosa.
Periodista independiente
Miami

169) Camilo Lopez
Escritor y webmaster
Miami

170) Hector Santiago
Escritor, Dramaturgo y Teatrista
New York, NY

171) Jesus J. Barquet
Poeta y profesor
New Mexico State University

172) Leon Ichaso
Escritor y cineasta
Los Angeles, CA.

173) Mari Rodriguez Ichaso
Periodista y cineasta
New York, NY

174) Xiomara J. Pages
Escritora/Periodista
Miami

175) Juan Carlos Espinosa. Ph.D
Vice Decano y Profesor
The Honors College
Florida International University
Miami

176) Rolando J Behar
Analista Politico
Miami

177) Yara González Montes
Ensayista y profesora emérita
University of Hawaii

178) Isel Rivero
Escritora
Madrid, Espana

179) Alejandro Armengol
Editor de Mesa
El Nuevo Herald

180) Eduardo Lolo, Ph.D.
Escritor y profesor universitario.
New York, NY

181) Laida Arcia Carro
Profesora de Arte
Miami

182) Nicolas Lara
Pintor y poeta
New York, NY

183) Orlando Rojas
Director de cine
Miami

184) Julie De Grandy
Escritora, actriz y asesora política
Miami

185) Verónica Cancio-De Grandy
Periodista y editora
Miami

186) Alcibíades Hidalgo
Periodista y editor cubano
Miami

187) Nicolas Abreu
Escritor

188) Pedro García Albela
Periodista y ex-profesor de la Universidad de La Habana
Miami

189) Mario Salas-Lanz
Theatre Director
Miami

190) Belkis Cuza Male
Poeta y periodista
Directora de Linden Lane Magazine y La Casa Azul
Fort Worth, Texas

191) Antonio José Ponte
Escritor
La Habana, Cuba

192) Cristina Humara
Social Studies Dept.
MDCPS

193) Silvia Lavernia
Maestra. Escuelas Publicas del Condado Miami Dade (DCPS)
Miami

194) José María Alvarez de la Campa
Periodista y Crítico de Arte
Curazao, Antillas Holandesas

195) Olivia Ocampo
Traductora y Activista por los Derechos Humanos
Curazao, Antillas Holandesas

196) Gina Montaner
Periodista
Miami

197) Jorge Dalton
Cineasta
San Salvador, El Salvador

198) Alina Galliano
Poeta Premio Letras de Oro
New York City, NY

199) David Landau
Editor & Publisher
Pureplay Press
Los Angeles, California

200) Teresa María Rojas
Profesora Emerita
Miami Dade College
Miami

201) Carlos Santana
Reportero de Radio Mambi
Univision Radio
Miami

202) Marcia Morgado
Periodista
Miami

203) Omar Amador
Traductor
Miami

204) Oneida Tam
Maestra de Educacion de Adultos
The English Center
Miami

205) Augusto Lemus
poeta e investigador
Las Vegas, Nevada

206) Carlos Montanaer (Hijo)
Cineasta y productor
Los Angeles, California

207) Israel Garcia
Editor
Telemundo
Miami

208) Miguel Cossío Woodward, PH D
Universidad Iberoamericana
Premio Internacional de Novela Casa de las Américas

209) Graciella Cruz Taura
Profesora de historia
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida

210) Gustavo Rex
actor y cantautor
Los Angeles, California

211) Tony Joaquín.
Fotoreportero independiente.
Miami

212) Radames Suarez
Spanish Language Collections/Cultural Arts Librarian
New York, NY

213) Grettel Trujillo
Actriz
Miami

214) Amelia del Castillo
Poeta y Escritora
Miami

215) Alejandro González Acosta, Ph.D.
Escritor y periodista.
Investigador del Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliográficas
Catedrático de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México.
Miembro Correspondiente de la Real Academia Española.
Ciudad de México, Mexico

216) Carlos Manuel Estefanía
Director de la Revista Cuba Nuestra
Estocolmo, Suecia

217) Aida Villoch
Primera Bailarina Ballet de Camaguey
Camaguey, Cuba

218) Olivia Ramos
Estudiante
Columbia University

219) Daniel Morcate
Chief Writer
Univision
El Nuevo Herald Columnist
Former Member of The Miami Herald Editorial Board
Miami

220) Ricardo Carreras Lario
Presidente
Solidaridad Española con Cuba
Madrid, España

221) Jorge Julio Gonzalez
Editor Online y periodista
Miami, Florida

222) Maria Elena Baradat de Valle
Publicitaria
Miami

223) Ramón Humberto Colás
C-Fundador de Bibliotecas Independientes de Cuba
Psicologo e Investigador
Co-Director del Centro para el Entendimiento de los Afro Descendientes
Cubanos.

224) Berta Mexidor Vazquez
Co-Fundadora de Bibliotecas independientes de Cuba
Profesora y Economista

225) Manuel Pereira
Escritor y periodista
Premio internacional "Cortes de Cádiz 2006" por su libro de cuentos "Mataperros".
Ciudad México

226) Héctor Héreter
Periodista
Caracas, Venezuela

227) Ramon Unzueta
Pintor
Tenerife, Espana

228) Enaida Unzueta
Galerista
Miami

229) Manny Lopez
Galerista
Miami

230) Lisset Cepero
Periodista
Canada

231) Melba Leiman
Periodista
Miami, Florida

232) Reinaldo Cruz
Actor, Video Producer, Fotografo
Imago Productions.
Miami

233) Anabel Leal
Actriz,Media Buyer, Video Producer.
Imago Productions.
Miami

234) Daisy Ballmajo
Periodista
Miami

235) Carla de Inocencio
Productora
Canal 41/America Teve
Miami

236) Alejandro Lorenzo
Pintor y escritor
Miami

237) Antonio Orlando Rodríguez
Escritor

238) Sergio Andricaín
Escritor y editor

239) Ramon Alejandro
Pintor
Paris, Francia

240) Victor Mozo
Traductor de TV5 Quebec
Colaborador de varios periodicos
Quebec, Canada

241) Gretchen Galindo
Periodista y locutora
Miami

242) William Navarrete
Escritor
Paris, Francia

243) Joaquin Ferrer
Pintor
Paris, Francia

244) Vicente P. Escobal
Periodista
Miami

245) Holly Ackerman, Ph.D.
Librarian for Latin America and Iberia
Duke University
Durham, NC

246) Santiago (Chago) Rodríguez
Escritor y pintor
Miami

247) Aylim Castro
Academic Advisor for the College of Arts and Sciences
Chapel Hill, NC

248) Amir Valle
Escritor y Periodista
Berlin, Alemania

249) Miguel A. García Puñales
Jefe de redacción Diario Cuba Matinal
Director del Centro de Información de Estudios Cubanos
Madrid. España

250) María E. Morejón Rodríguez
Ingeniera y Profesora
Universidad Hannover
Alemania

251) Dr. Raul E. Chao
Chairman (retired)
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan

252) Olga Isabel Nodarse
Executive Vice President
The Systema Group, Inc.
Coral Gables, Florida

253) Miguel Fernández Martínez
periodista
colaborador del Diario Las Américas
y la revista Socialite
Miami

254) Maricel Mayor Marsán
Escritora y Directora de Redacción
Revista Literaria Baquiana
Miami, Florida

255) Daína Chaviano

256) Carmen Pelaez
Escritora y actriz
New York, NY

257) Jose Miguel Anhuaman
Advertising Executive
Diario Las Americas
Miami

258) Efrain J. Ferrer
Professor
Physics Department
Western Illinois Univ.

259) Luis A. Mallo
Artista y fotografo
Brooklyn, NY

260) Pablo Felipe Pérez G.
Escritor y Analista Cubano
Medellín, Colombia

261) Víctor H. Becerra
Coordinador de Programas
Fundación Friedrich Naumann para América Latina
México D.F., Mexico

262) Carlos Vidal Prado
Secretario General Adjunto
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Académico Correspondiente de la Real Academia Española de Jurisprudencia y Legislación
Madrid, Espana

263) Ivonne Bethart
Profesora de español
Barry University
Miami Shores, Florida

264) Celso Sarduy Agüero
Analista Político
Director de LiberPress
Buenos Aires, Argentina

265) Gabriela de Sarduy
Editora de LiberPress
Buenos Aires, Argentina

266) Alexis Gainza Solenzal
Director
Revista Miscelaneas de Cuba
Estocolmo, Suecia

267) Osvaldo Alfonso Valdes
Editor y analista politico
Revista Miscelaneas de Cuba
Estocolmo Suecia

268) Antonio Salazar
Editor
www.canariasliberal.org
Islas Canarias, Espana

269) Reinaldo Batista
Productor
Canal 41/America TV
Miami

270) Eduardo Caceres Manso
Director y productor ejecutivo
Canal 41/America TV
Miami

271) Gelet Martinez Fragela
Actriz
Canal 41/America TV
Miami

272) Guillermina Carrandi Gorrita
Ex Investigadora de Estudios Cubanos
Universidad de Miami
Miami

273) Alfredo Porras Sanchez
Periodista
Valladolid, Espana

274) Hector Naupari
Poeta

275) Vivian Incera
Professor and Chair
Physics Department
Western Illinois University

276) Jose M. Gonzalez-Llorente
Escritor
Miami

277) Jorge Pomar
Periodista
Colonia, Alemania

278) Carlos Eguaras
Freelance Writer
Miami

279) Alvaro Vargas Llosa
periodista y escritor
Washington, DC

280) Daisy Ballmajo
Periodista
Miami

281) David Hall
Periodista y relaciones publicas
Virginia

282) Federico R. Justiniani, M.D.
Profesor de Medicina en el Mount Sinai Medical Center,
Universidad de Miami, Escuela de Medicina Miller.
Miami

283) Rosie Inguanzo
Teatrista y poeta
Miami

284) Ramon A Boza MD
Profesor asociado
Universidad de Miami
Miami

285) Rodolfo Martínez Sotomayor
Escritor, periodista y publicista
Miami

286) JuliánPortal Font
Escritor y Pintor
Miami

287) Maria Caridad Camejo
Publicista
San Juan, PR/Miami Beach

288) Ernesto Calvo Alvarez
Historiador, crítico de cine y arte visuales
Director Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo
San Jose, Costa Rica

289) Jorge Riopedre
Periodista,
TV Marti
Miami, Florida

290) Carlos Sabino
Escritor y profesor universitario
Universidad Central de Venezuela
Caracas, Venezuela

291) Rosa Pelz Galperin
Editora
Buenos Aires, Argentina

292) Julio Antonio
Artista Plastico
Miami

293) Robert A. Solera
Periodista y Editor
Cuba en el Mundo
Miami

294) Jorge R. Moya
Publicitario
New York, NY

295) Armando Añel
Editor y periodista
Miami

296) Jorge Davila Miguel
Executive Producer
Mega TV / Canal 22
Miami

297) Carlos Espinosa Dominguez
Profesor
Seton Hall University

298) Luis A Baralt Mederos
Escritor
Madrid, España

299) Oscar Visiedo
Instituto de Estudios Cubanos

300) Gustavo Acosta
Pintor
Miami

[nonee moose]

Hey louJIF! Welcome back....

Some pretty good journos had their ideologies and their hearts in the "right" place. STOP

Those same journos made decisions based on those ideologies and emotions, and for a teensy second forgot the greater ramifications of those decisions. Bad judgement, though I have yet to read anything in here to convince me that journalistic ethics were violated. STOP

Oscar reported facts. They are so far uncontroverted. There may be some question as to the freshness of those facts, and therefore questions as to their categorization as "news" in a sense. Those facts remain, however. STOP

Jesus Diaz, who was not at the helm when the "moonlighter" relationships were conceived, made a personnel management decision. That is his job, the performance of which his employers evaluate him on. His prior knowledge of the "moonlighter" cases is in question. Certainly, the organization's claims of no prior knowledge are discredited by the existence of archival reports detailing at least one of the relationships in question. STOP

The handling of the firings, IMO, was ham-handed. Hindsight, and the later-publicized handling of the Hartford Courant/VOA case, would show that given the perceived acquiescence of prior Herald executives to the "moonlighter" situation, some "option of retreat" from the Marti entanglements should have been discussed with the journos, even if the end result would have been to enforce a policy which any corporation has an absolute right to implement. Absent some efforts at mitigating the situation, then the Herald's actions are worthy of criticism. It should not matter what side of the political debate you are on. Employees seem to have been fired without fair warning, and be it the Herald or the corner McDonald's, there is something unjust about it.

[John Longfellow aka Lou Dobbs]

Nonee,

Hi nonee, i almost miss ya, almost.. :) Nonee, I have never commented on the firings, because up until your post above, i could not form a reasoned opinion. As all the yammering from the exiles Val, Henry, and Manual, was about Oscar being an alleged, top-secret, covert ex-KGB agent.

Nevertheless, using your thoughts as a guidepost. It would seem as if the firings (may) have been interesting. In law, judges often use precedence as a pathway to the case before them. Hence, i will have to go research the case of Armstrong Williams. Even though Mr.Williams case may not be exactly on point. It may be nevertheless, relevant to support the Herald's decision.

Fact of the matter is, that the firing decision may have been even above Diaz's head. It may have been a decision of the board of this new organization. A board consisting of a bunch of southern red-state conservatives, who watch too much Lou Dobbs, and anti-Spanish Foxnews. Or perhaps, the board consist of a bunch of liberal lefties. Or it could just have been straight up journalist ethics 101. I really dunno. I think it is always intelligent to go to the actual decisionmakers, you know the ones who actually sign the paychecks, and examine their backgrounds, education, and politics.

Like i said, i dont know about the "true" decisionmakers. However, what i do know is that for the exile extremist like Val Prieto, Henry Gomez, and Manual to set upon a 20-something old reporter, was out of proportion.

P.S.

I do know that Oscar will not be permitted to post any penetrating examination of the bosses that pay him. As i wrote a very lengthy discussion about his new bosses. Some people, criticism, observations are touchable. And others are untouchable. Dont worry Oscar, we know, there are no criticism of the new management allowed. As i have already tried, and been rebuffed. LOL Gosh, just gotta love this new free speech at the Herald. First, columns almost got yanked last week, once free blogs, now censored, and my pointed observations about the new management two days ago never posted. Will this one make it Oscar? I self-deleted several paragraphs about the new management, so as not to criticize them.

[Dude]

On why an independent and transparent press is important - propaganda vs. the truth. Here is a parallel situation on a more light hearted topic - radio and sirius radio comedy dj Howard Stern. If you watched major news networks this week, you would have heard that Howard Stern was failing at his Sirius Satellite radio and would be returning to terrestrial radio. Truth was nothing could be further from the truth according to Mr. Stern. Those rumours affected Sirius radio stock prices apparently. Who generated the rumour, the radio page editor of the NY Post, a gentleman named Manelli (sp?). A little more investigation revealed this same reporter ran his own "independent" consulting firm for which clientele? Terrestrial radio...

Journalists must be independent of undue influence and transparent in their employers or sponsors. Dude

[roberto escarpenter]

Oscar when you refer to the Columbus, Belen
College Prep School networks some time ago as a Mafia,
Do you refer to WASPS and Jewish -Americans in the same fashion when they network from prep schools,colleges, or country clubs in similar fashion ?
Or are you out to impress someone as being objective so you must de-humanize them first. And in this case you had to prove yourself to be outside of the Group.

The use of the word Mafia is pretty derogatory,
just ask over 25 million Italian- Americans who have endured that label for 80 years because of a handful of criminals,Hollywood Parasites and a undereducated public.

You are a brilliant young writer with a future, You just did an important piece
no matter what I or others think about it

you should not reduce your accomplishments by reducing anyone's Humanity,leave that to those without a good vocabulary. Look upwards never down.
GOD Bless and Good Luck

[roberto escarpenter]

Oscar when you refer to the Columbus, Belen
College Prep School networks some time ago as a Mafia,
Do you refer to WASPS and Jewish -Americans in the same fashion when they network from prep schools,colleges, or country clubs in similar fashion ?
Or are you out to impress someone as being objective so you must de-humanize them first. And in this case you had to prove yourself to be outside of the Group.
The use of the word Mafia is pretty derogatory,
just ask over 50 millionItalian Americans who have endured that label for 80 years because of a handful of criminals and Hollywood Parasites.
You are a brilliant young writer with a future, You just did an important piece
no matter what the outcome think about it
you should not reduce anyone's Humanity,leave that to those without a good vocabulary. Look upwards never down.
GOD Bless and Good Luck

[Pee Wee Herman]

I though i was out Johnlong you pulled me back in...

Remember Pee Wee is on your tail always...

behave

[a different thought]

Florida is an "at will" state fro employment. As long as the firing is not for an illegally discriminatroy reason, boss can fire whenever he wants, Just FYI.

[manny o.]

The bottom line is that the herald knoew about all of this way before it was published. In fact, fidel knoew about it before it was published. Why were they not given the option to choose their fate? Also, as manuel has eloquently stated, the publisher of el nuevo herald also participated in radio marti broadcasts. I dont think he has been fired as of yet. Lastly, what is the difference between what has happened here and journalists who "moonlight" for Voice of America?

P.S. it is actually nice to hear from you again loujohn. we have missed you and your wacky ideas.

[manny o.]

Can someone enlighten as to oscars comments about the "columbus/Belen College Prep Mafia"?

[nonee moose]

louJIF:

If you're not careful, your musings about the McClatchy board will land you alongside Manuel and the rest of the so-called conspiracy theorists who are looking for "business" answers to what has been portrayed as a question of ethics. Don't fret, because I posited the same idea not too long ago. It is common when multi-billion dollar mergers take place that there be cultural clashes (in the corporate sense) as those unions evolve and progress from the balance sheet to the actual human element. And don't waste your time with the Armstrong Williams case as an analogy. Not only is it not on point, it's not even in the same area code. I think the VOA cases, which are still developing, are much more appropriate to the discussion.

ADT is right that, essentially, the Herald can fire anyone for anything, absent an illegal cause. There is no guarantee of fairness in all that. But if someone is citing ethical grounds, their motives by necessity come under higher scrutiny. Sort of like when Jim Bakker tells you not to hole up with some "not-Tammy Faye" in a seedy motel room...

Roberto Escarpenter:

I'm not sure where you were going with the whole Belen-Columbus mafia thing. Oscar is a product of that very camp, as are Henry and, I would suspect, many other denizens of the MCC.

Manny O.: Though I understand the point you and Manuel are trying to make re the publisher's participation in media-Marti, I think a fair distinction can be made. The Herald publisher is essentially on the business side, even though he may sit on the editorial board. The general counsel sits on the editorial board too, but it doesn't make him a journalist. So, assuming ethical considerations (which I reject), I'm not sure they can be extrpolated to Mr. Diaz so easily. Nevertheless, I think questions of a moral quality and a sense of fairness, as a business manager, can easily persist.

[manny o.]

To whoever "moderates" this blog:

If you are going to "moderate" the posts, please allow them to be read on the same day they are posted. I made a couple of entries yesterday that still have not appeared. I would like to think that someone is just being lazy and not allowing the post to show up because they didn't have time to "moderate" them. If this is not the case, why whou you censure my posts? they were not contraversial or defaming to the Herald in any way. Or, is the word "moderate" just being used as a synonym for "censure". Please advise so that I dont waste my time any more posting on this blog. It used to be an enjoyable place to state your opinions and partake in lively debates.

[nonee moose]

how long does it take to screen posts anyway? I posted something over 24 hours ago, and still nothing...

[roberto escarpenter]

to MCC
where am I going read it again,

Oscar should think twice about the use of the word Mafia like maybe saving it for those that actually commit major capital crimes in an organized fashion,habitually under RICO guidelines
THat he is a Prep school Alumni like I am ,does not excuse the irresponsible use of the term Mafia, if anything I expected an expanded vocabulary from a Catholic School Preppie ,

Regards