[HCDX] Radio Marti (After the Knockout, the Fight Goes On)

["polisci" <polisci@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

After the Knockout, the Fight Goes On

By Al Kamen, The Washington Post

Friday, July 14, 2000; Page A21


The Elian fallout never ends. The Broadcasting Board of Governors, which
oversees federally funded Radio Marti, recently blasted the station for
waiting four hours before starting to broadcast news of the April 22
government raid seizing Elian Gonzalez in Miami.


Radio Marti is supposed to provide objective reporting to Cuba to counter
the commie propaganda and it's to do so with the "highest professional
standards of broadcast journalism," the BBG's resolution last month noted.


But Marti waited until 9 a.m., hours after U.S., international and even
Cuban networks reported the seizure and an hour after Attorney General Janet
Reno's news conference that morning to discuss the events. All this even
though a TV Marti "news crew on the scene . . . telephoned the Radio Marti
newsroom to report the seizure," the board said.


The board's resolution said the "deliberate delay" was "unacceptable and
invalid" and it "severely reprimands and censures the Office of Cuba
Broadcasting management."


The board also wanted Office of Cuba Broadcasting chief Herminio San Roman
to boot Radio Marti director Roberto Rodriguez Tejera out of his job. San
Roman refused.


Yesterday, a trio of Cuban American lawmakers--Reps. Robert Menendez
(D-N.J.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart
(R-Fla.)--fired back. Echoing the views of Radio Marti folks, the three
blasted the board for Monday-morning quarterbacking and interfering in the
station's news judgment.


It was a "confrontational meeting," a Hill source said and neither side
offered concessions. The lawmakers noted the seizure occurred over Easter
weekend and the station wasn't staffed up. In any event, they said, Radio
Marti shouldn't be held to news broadcast standards of typical commercial
radio stations.


Radio Marti folks had earlier explained to the board they had been concerned
that running the Elian seizure story would be "playing into Castro's hands"
and they wanted to make sure they had all the facts before going on the air.


Ah yes, sometimes it can take quite a while to get that spin just right.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40457-2000Jul13.html





---

Armando F. Mastrapa III
Crisis at Radio Marti
http://www.cubapolidata.com/carm/carm.html

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