Although it is hardly admirable we cannot but be impressed by the spirit de corps that exists and flourishes among Miami's journalistic community, although it is, after all, a one newspaper town, for all intents and purposes. The only other English-language newspaper is the alternative weekly Miami New Times, which is what one would expect it to be. The two Spanish-language daily newspapers, El Nuevo Herald, which is an offshoot of The Miami Herald, and El Diario Las Américas, which exists in its own mileau and almost in its own time and space, are not rivals of The Herald in any way, though occasional antagonists (El Herald, ironically, more than El Diario).
So the silence decreed by The Miami Herald on the Oscar Corral Affaire has not been challenged in any way by other Miami papers, nor, for that matter, by any papers that border its circulation area, not even the Sun-Post, which had profiled Corral only 3 weeks earlier in an embarrassing puff piece that only seems more embarrassing now (intrepid ace reporter takes on Miami's Cuban extremists and becomes martyr-in-waiting).
The Corral story provided an excellent opportunity for the other local papers to assert their independence and forge a distinct character, and, yes, for their circulations to grow. But even the contrarian New Times — aren't alternative newspapers supposed to be? — limited its coverage to its webpages, where it squandered real scoops and diluted the story with the usual attacks on the Cuban-American community, which is the daily bread of their blogs. Worst still, with the exception of Herald Watch and the RCAB, which have covered the story in-depth within the measure of their resources, it did not even merit a mention on most Cuban-American blogs and only derivative and quickly cut-off discussion on Babalú.
We must really ask ourselves why this is so, since this was the week's big story in any venue which did chose to cover it, such as Miami's Spanish-language talk radio. Although its leftwing critics chide it for a thousand so-called sins, it is not guilty of the sin of omission. Its coverage of the Oscar Corral Affaire could have been emulated by all media in Miami. It was not, which is to their very great discredit.
It says a lot that Granma, official organ of Cuba's Communist Party, covered the Corral story more exhaustively than any Miami newspaper, and being alone and unchallenged in in its "reportage," foisted more lies and propaganda into the discussion than would otherwise have been possible if any other outlet had bothered to report on this story. The lavish praise which Granma heaped on Corral, unseen since the death of Herbert Matthews, was itself worthy of notice by the Miami media, which, of course, noticed nothing.
The only explanation I can find for what amounts to a cover-up by the Miami media is this: perhaps all the media in Miami are replete with adulterers who pay to be fellated, luckier but no less depraved than Oscar Corral, and this was just a can of worms that nobody could afford to open.
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6 comments:
I think you may be right in your assertions Manuel, otherwise why is Miami so tight lipped about this affair? it may be others don't want their little secrets aired in public
Manuel,
I see the Cuban American misfits review died a quick death! That page is no longer found on the web. As the old saying goes:
Solavaya! Their rantings were good enough for the trashbin. It did not even make for a month. Skinner must be in the hospital for the insane having tea and crumpets with the Fanto by now!
As castro found his political prostitutes through the New York Jives, perhaps the personalities which are the subject of this post find their 'hos through the New Times .
Agustin:
I went to the misfits review shortly before it closed and laughed in their faces, told them that blog would be closing soon, since fanta was the only one commenting there, you know it was fanta who opened it, don't you? he's so damn transparent, Manuel knew it from the start
Manuel, no estas muy lejos de la verdad con lo que escribiste en tu ultimo parrafo. Se tapan unos a otros porque hay mucha caca. Uno de radio que si lo agarraron en un bano publico de un parque masturbandose delante de un policia encubierto. Sigue de paladin en Diaro Las Americas. Otro, en la lista de depredadores sexuales de La Florida jefe de redaccion del Nuevo Herald, solo para cubrir aparicencias despues de mi incidente, lo sacaron del "machon". El director, con problemas morales con dos empleadas. Sigue el director ahi, y solo sacaron a una empleada para cubrir la apariencia de "conflicto de interes" (porque es su actual esposa ahora). En fin. El material humano de la prensa se corrompe mucho (motivo?) el mismo poder que da la propia prensa. Botellas, "columnitas", dinero para viajes inventados, congresos que no existen pero que son en lugares tan exoticos como Brasil (vacaciones regaladas). Me lo decia Carollo cuando fue alcalde "los traficantes de influencias". Y por ahi para alla, hay mucho mas camino con implicaciones mas preversas. Es duro decirlo porque tal parece que al decirlo se manch Miami pero no, no se mancha porque ahi estan mis abuelos y mi padre (ya muertos) que echaron vida en factorias y tomateras y hasolina de madrugada en estaciones para criar hijos y darles educacion. Miami se salva con toda esa genete noble y trabajadora. Solo que Granma usa a estos otros para generalizar.
English translation of José Varela's comment:
Manuel, you are not far from the truth with what you wrote in the last the paragraph. They cover up for one another because there is just too much shit going down. An undercover cop caught one of their number masturbating in a public restroom; he's still a bigwig at Diario las Américas. Another character, who's on the State of Florida's Registry of Sexual Predators, was removed as managing editor at the time of my incident for appearances' sake. The editor had moral problems also with two female employees; he is still at the job but one of the women (now his wife) was removed to avoid a conflict of interests. In short, the flawed humans who work in the third estate in Miami are as subject to moral turpitude as the very power that they wield is susceptible to corruption. No-show jobs, the opportunistic assignment of little columns to the favored few, the allocation of funds for overseas assignments that are little more than paid vacations and for conferences and conventions in exotic locales like Brazil — all this is also part of the endemic corruption that prevails there. Corrollo used to tell me when he was mayor that they were all "influence peddlers." And that's only the top of the iceberg; underneath there are even more perverse things to be found. It's hard to say it because it may appear that in doing so I am besmirching Miami's reputation; but, in fact, there is another Miami which is deserving of honor, the Miami to which my grandparents and parents (now deceased) belonged, who eaked out an honest living in factories, tomato canneries and gas stations from dawn to dusk in order to be able to raise their kids and give them an education. Miami is saved by such noble and hardworking people. It's unfortunate that "Granma" uses the other perverse ones to generalize about Miami.
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