The media and its lies

The above paragraph I just quoted is written to “stick it”  on any human activity, and bear it as a shameful poster before humanity. Be careful, lie lurks, on the loose, ready to catch others´ minds, to confuse and pretend to show  “villas and castles” as Cubans say. It is as if simplicity, veracity and the whole truth would start vanishing eventually into thin earth.  Those, including myself, who work in the media must be alert for the virus crawling among colleagues, because lying is not only reflected in numerical figures, in voices or the distorsion of truth: a bad or comfortable attitude leads to a lack of ethics. The lack of attitude is always an obstacle in communication. There are lies that do not open their mouths and take cover in silence.

In keeping with the guidelines of the economic and social policy to be disussed at the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, how does our country face the viruses of lies in the media sector from our Caribbean environment?

I do not believe we have a definitive answer, but  our path is different from other parts of the world. Anyways In order to bake a loaf of bread,  there should be an accordingly job attitude, like that for teachers, doctors, artists; and, likewise that must happen on the radio, on Television and in general  journalism. Journalists and social communicators in Cuba, doubly committed, count on the Codes of Ethics and its Statutes at http://www.cubaperiodistas.cu/upec/etica1.html which pave the way to counter all kind of antisocial, fraudulent or willful practices in the exercise of our profession.

Without referring to any article we would start with the ethics of those who work for the press, not only for a living or as their regular job but as a means of  creating conducts and  patterns for our recipients (listeners, readers and viewers). Cuban journalism should encourage, transmit and enhance the values of society. So should not that be in that way in any part of the planet Earth?

The journalist and the Cuban social communicator respond to the ethics and morality of the Republic. The press professional action is constantly observed by  society. The effectiveness of the reporter’s work must be accompanied by truth, justice and dignity, without any kind of rhetoric. Do not forget that those eyes and minds  following  the actions of men in the public media portray themselves a coherent, harmonious, distorted, or important image along with what is broadcast on air, or written on newspapers.

Being a journalist and a  communicator in Europe or America today, no matter  in capitalism or socialism, entails commitment and virtue. Sincerity, honesty and truthfulness forever are part of the triumph of ethics and morality. Social Communication is the appropriate environment to build a more humane, conscious, and critical person,.
Journalism entails responsibility and maturity.

Dr. Julio Garcia Luis, in his article Ethics, Morality and Communication,’ said “Moral awareness is part of the spiritual life of society and as such, is part of the ideology developed simultaneously at the social level (…) ethics does not provide morality in a sense that knowing much about ethics and having a broad intellectual information brings about a person with a better moral education necessarily.”

The above quote sums up that a professional can be a person of poor moral character, as a simple worker, an employee may be a person of high moral integrity.

The journalists, opinion leaders, social communicators, without any dogma, must systematically take behaviors, examples and patterns that serve to lay the foundations to unite wills. At the same time they must get rid of prejudices, human calamities, conflicts in the interpersonal relationships, the result of the no conscious achievement of life ethics,  which is not implicit in codes but is present in the example, it regulates itself and participates with the rigor of education that family and society provide.

Social Communication Professionals in Cuba like all others, are not intended to enrich themselves and prefer their personal interests at the expense of their job mates and society as a whole, but to serve the entire country. It is ethical and moral that the individual, group, collective and territorial interests may be legitimate, but always must be reconciled with the general interests of society.

Serious and constructive and well founded criticism, in the face of incompetence, builds up. Self-censorship has to do with coldness; no to give our opinion and to refrain from it to avoid trouble is not a hoax for the professional press. While disagreeing there appears different opinions, and finally a consensus and a solution to a conflict.  The open and frank opinion of media men and women in Cuba is a need as never before. The press professional that respects his dignity – a journalist – should not be fooled, much less swallowed by lies. The press, the daily information deserves to be true.

In order to complete this notion I use journalist José Martí´s thought. ” While intelligence is a casual gift, character is built by man, and is defined as the courage to act according to the virtue.”

Translated by: Daysi Olano