Articulating alliances between alternative and counterhegemonic media stood out among the premises most strongly defended during the celebration of the New Operation Truth Conference concluded today in this capital.
Ivette Fernandez. Journalist. “Latin Press”. Havana. 1/23/2024. The organization of the event, which began last Sunday, was carried out by the Latin American News Agency Prensa Latina, and brought together more than 60 information professionals and other officials linked to the news media from 30 countries.
The main purpose was to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the call issued in January 1959 by the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, to which some 400 journalists attended to disseminate the reality of the country and counter a malicious media campaign.
Those attending agreed on the relevance of carrying out a permanent crusade against disinformation, fake news or others that seek to justify the outrages committed against the peoples who fight to obtain or maintain their sovereignty.
The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, present on the opening day, considered that wherever there is an alternative communication project against the imperial media, there is an Operation Truth.
Díaz-Canel pointed out that this historical event, led by Fidel Castro in the founding days of the Revolution, constitutes a dazzling fact for its audacity.
“It is a challenge that history presents to us for the current times, from which we take its validity in times of hegemonic policies, cultural colonization and Artificial Intelligence,” he remarked.
The Cuban president recognized the work of journalists who, even at the risk of their own lives, expose the sufferings of the Palestinian people, subjected by the Zionist government of Israel.
Solidarity with Palestine and Cuba
A large part of the interventions focused on the need to make visible the crimes suffered today by the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, in which they highlighted the importance of confronting the lies spread by Israel to justify its excesses.
“Propaganda aims to dehumanize Palestinians to justify their elimination. In the face of this misinformation, manipulation and dehumanization, our medium – the pan-Arab channel Al Mayadeen – has risen as a bastion of truth and responsible journalism,” commented Lebanon’s Minister of Information, Ziad Makary.
The president of the Board of Directors of the Al-Mayadeen Information Network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, through a video message, urged everyone to unite in defense of the truth against what he called “international mafia.”
In addition to the voices in favor of Palestine, there were also demonstrations of support for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Syria and against the blockade that the United States has maintained against Cuba for more than 60 years.
Regarding the coercive policies with which Washington intends to subjugate the Cuban people, American activist Gloria La Riva considered that the inclusion of the Caribbean nation on a list of sponsors of terrorism is irrational.
“The truth is that Cuba is the one who has been a victim of terrorism sponsored by the United States,” he stated.
The participants spoke with the deputy director general of the United States Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Johana Tablada, who described the northern country’s policy towards Cuba as suffocating and in parallel developed a brutal communication campaign in the attempt to discredit the Government’s efforts. towards a more sustainable society.
The program of activities included a visit to the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, during which its representatives updated journalists on advances in that field and also visited the Fidel Castro Ruz Center, an institution that honors the legacy of the historic revolutionary leader. .
Renowned intellectuals spoke on the Conference panels, including the Cuban Abel Prieto, the former Belizean Foreign Minister Godfrey Smith and the American journalist David Montgomery.
Perennial battle in defense of the truth
The delegates to the meeting, from around thirty countries, came from nations as distant as Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, China and Russia.
It was spoken in English, Spanish, Arabic and in some other versions that could well be named “portuñol” and “spanglish”.
Even so, all voices agreed on the need to establish an articulation that facilitates the defense of peoples in resistance.
The director of the Algerian Press Service, Samir Gaid, for example, advocated closer collaboration between alternative and counter-hegemonic press media to adequately address the issues as required by the countries.
“Operation Truth requires a rebirth, with the search for renewed forms in a world that is being renewed, and that is why it is very useful to think about methods to strengthen this southern forum in defense of the causes of our nations,” he stated.
Despite the fact that the Conference debates came to an end, it was decided to continuously maintain the alternative media’s battle for truthfulness, as stated in the last of its days by the president of Prensa Latina, Luis Enrique González.
Previously, the manager had warned about the urgency of working “in pursuit of information that increasingly resembles the reality we live in, that is more inclusive, humanistic and that is not limited to monopolies.”
Aware of the increased risks that the misuse of digital social networks and Artificial Intelligence can entail, he stressed, we are called to avoid it and counteract it from our daily work, from a dignified journalistic exercise.
González recalled how, three months after Operation Truth, Prensa Latina was born, the first and most important alternative media in the region to date.
“The value of Prensa Latina is inextricably linked to that need to speak with its own voice, as a pioneer and school of the fight from the Global South, against misinformation, manipulation and fake news,” he stated.
For this ethical performance and “being a source of light for present and future generations of journalists,” the Latin American Agency deserved recognition from the Hispanic American Press Congress given during the meeting.
The president of that union, Amín Cruz, thus highlighted the work of the news media group for not giving up in its defense of the truth.
