Coletilla

A coletilla (Spanish word meaning: "tagline", in English), is the term used in the English language to describe the political disclaimers published in Cuban newspapers, in the immediate aftermath of the Cuban Revolution.[1] The coletillas began in early 1959 at the behest of government controlled print unions. These unions would demand from their managers that their respective newspapers be published with taglines such as: "This article has been published out of respect for press freedom. However, the workers of this newspaper warn that this information neither follows the truth nor complies, even at minimum, with the most elementary journalism standards". After the government seizure of Cuban newspapers in 1960, coletillas were no longer applied.[2]

Background

Further information: Huber Matos affair

During the Cuban Revolution, major Cuban magazines like Bohemia, and Diario de la Marina, were prohibited by the Batista regime from reporting on state torture. Because of state censors, many Cuban people read the newspaper Revolucion, and listened to the radio station Radio Rebelde. Both outlets were operated by Cuban rebels, and thus were free from state censorship. In the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the magazine Lunes de Revolucion was established, as a literary review, complementary to the older newspaper Revolucion. Lunes de Revolucion became the most widely read literary review in Latin America.[3][4]

In the wake of the Huber Matos affair, a scandal in which military commander Huber Matos resigned over communist influence in the government, the main Cuban newspapers Prensa Libre, El Avance, and Diario de la Marina, published stories critical of Huber Matos. Despite this response, Castro still lamented that there was a media conspiracy against his government. Soon after, printers unions dominated by Popular Socialist Party members, began a campaign of harassment against newspaper managers.[5]

Implementation

By the end of 1959, coletillas began appearing in various Cuban publications at the behest of the printers union. The appearance of coletillas began appearing in the wake of the Huber Matos affair.[4]

On January 19, 1960, Castro officially declared his approval for clarifications added by the workers. This was declared after workers at Informacion refused to publish foreign reports, and demanded the right to put in their own commentary.[6] Soon after, the writer Mario Llerena wrote an article for Prensa Libre, where he compared the political consolidation in Cuba, to the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. The article received a lengthy coletilla, which Llerena then responded to in another article, criticizing the anonymous quality of coletillas.[4]

On May 11, 1960, the publishers of Diario de la Marina, the Rivero family, refused to publish a coletilla in the latest issue of the newspaper. The next day, the National Federation of Graphic Workers seized the newspaper. The Rivero family challenged the seizure in court. On May 27, 1960, the seizure was defended by the court, because it was apparently conducted in "the national interest". A protest was also conducted in which a coffin was marched from the newspaper office to the University of Havana. The Rivero family emigrated from Cuba shortly after this court ruling.[7]

By the end of 1960, Avance, El Pais, and Bohemia, were seized by the printers union, and put under government control. TV, and radio stations, were also put under government control.[8]

Aftermath

See also: P.M. affair

While private media declined, government sponsored media remained. This media was allowed a sort of pluralism of opinion, as long as the opinion was ultimately loyal to the government. This status quo was reaffirmed in Fidel Castro's speech: "Words to the Intellectuals", in June 1960. By 1965, pluralism of opinion was reduced during a press restructuring and La Granma became the main newspaper of the country.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kapcia, Antoni (2022). Historical Dictionary of Cuba. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. p. xxiii. ISBN 9781442264557.
  2. ^ Verdeja, Sam; Martinez, Guillermo (2011). Cubans, an Epic Journey The Struggle of Exiles for Truth and Freedom. Facts About Cuban Exiles. ISBN 9781935806202.
  3. ^ The Bloomsbury Handbook to Cold War Literary Cultures. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2022. pp. 340–345. ISBN 9781350191723.
  4. ^ a b c Iber, Patrick (2015). Neither Peace Nor Freedom The Cultural Cold War in Latin America. Harvard University Press. pp. 134–138. ISBN 9780674915145.
  5. ^ Bradford, Anita (2014). The Revolution is for the Children The Politics of Childhood in Havana and Miami, 1959-1962. University of North Carolina Press. p. 86. ISBN 9781469611525.
  6. ^ Dictators and Autocrats Securing Power Across Global Politics. Taylor and Francis. 2021. ISBN 9781000467604.
  7. ^ The Media in Latin America. McGraw-Hill Education. 2008. p. 116. ISBN 9780335222018.
  8. ^ Martinez-Fernandez, Luis (2014). Revolutionary Cuba A History. University Press of Florida. p. 59. ISBN 9780813048765.
  9. ^ Underlid, Evan (2021). Cuba Was Different Views of the Cuban Communist Party on the Collapse of Soviet and Eastern European Socialism. Brill. p. 48. ISBN 9789004442900.