Covering Code Pink in Little Havana (Part 3)

There are three television news reports about the last Code Pink demonstration available for review. One from CBS4 news (English) and two Spanish-language reports by Telemundo51 and Noticias23 (Univision). I will use the same methodology used to examine the printed reports: 1) Mention of the Code Pink mission; 2) accurate description of actions directed at Code Pink in Little Havana; and 3) mention of the background and debate over Luis Posada Carriles.


CBS4

The CBS4 report (by Cristina Puig) offers a very good summary of events that occurred that day (Jan. 12th). Puig says that Code Pink had the "proper permits" to demonstrate, "but were quickly chased away" when they arrived at the Versailles Restaurant, where they "didn't stand a chance" against "some 300 angry counter-protesters."

Puig mentioned that Code Pink "wants the FBI to add Posada to their list of 'Most Wanted'" and that they had other demonstrations planned, such as the one last week at the office of Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The description of events was captured on video with some counter-protesters charging at the Code Pink truck and one individual ripping some fabric from their display. Puig also reports on the controversial background of Luis Posada Carriles by mentioning his immigration case, his being "sought after by Cuba and Venezuela for allegedly downing a Cuban jetliner in 1976, killing 73 passengers," and mentioning that he is an "ex-CIA agent."

Puig's report also includes good quotes by Code Pink members describing their main grievance with the inconsistency of the US on terrorism. Medea Benjamin is quoted saying: "the US government is harboring a terrorist and [Pres.] George Bush has said any country that harbors a terrorist is guilty of terrorism." Puig also includes a quote by Code Pink member Tighe Barry making a complaint directly to a Miami police officer:

"They [counter-protesters] do not have permits to carry ten foot polls and with points on the end. That I know is a fact. Now why you don't, you do not follow the rule of law. When the rule of law breaks down, Democracy breaks down. When Democracy breaks down, Anarchy takes place. And what we saw in the streets of Miami was Anarchy."

Video from different sources shows several counter-protesters carrying large Cuban flags, with the flagpole made of unknown material and of unknown length. Before the Miami FTAA protests of 2003, the City of Miami made several strict changes to the City Charter in order to regulate materials used for public demonstrations. One regulation was aimed at prohibiting "any length of metal, plastic or other similar hard of stiff material, whether hollow or solid." These regulations had several conditions for these materials, especially one stating that they "be blunt, and not pointed." But, these strict revisions to the City Charter were eventually repealed the following year after protests from several local activists (mostly citing restrictions to number of persons allowed to assemble). But, other cities today regulate certain materials, such as those used for flagpoles, for public demonstration. A Public Assembly application [PDF] from Concord, North Carolina, for example, regulates wood or plastic poles (including flagpoles) used in demonstrations demanding they be "blunt at both ends" and "less than 41 inches in length."


NOTICIAS23 (UNIVISION)

The reports by the local Spanish -language Univision and Telemundo networks both have glaring omissions in their reporting. Both do not meet the basic journalistic tasks that have set to review. Looking at these Spanish-language television reports, in comparison to the CBS4 report (and the print articles), reveals some interesting biases.

The Noticias23 report begins with video of the Code Pink truck arriving at the Versailles Restaurant, and counter-demonstrators charging at the truck and one individual ripping fabric from the Code Pink display. The reporter does not say that Code Pink was "chased away" like Puig from CBS4, or anything similar to being chased away, but instead simply reports that the police had to "intervene" in the protest (no other mention of aggression is mentioned). Even though there is video of counter-protesters walking into other streets nearby the Versailles Restaurant looking for the pursued Code Pink truck, the Noticias23 reporter still doesn't mention that Code Pink was chased away by the crowd. Instead, one sound bite includes a counter-protester saying: "The streets of Miami belong to us Cuban patriots!"

The Noticias23 report never mentions the mission of the Code Pink demonstration, and never mentions the controversial history of Luis Posada Carriles. I suppose Univision assumes that its viewers are already aware of the controversy, or decided that it was not important. Instead, the report questions the history of Code Pink. The reporter poses the question to its viewers:

"The real question is: who makes up and what ideas are brought by the group Code Pink?"

The reporter asks, of ALL people, Miguel Saavedra for an answer. Saavedra was caught attacking counter-protesters last January on the streets of Calle Ocho. Saavedra says that Code Pink "represents" the government of Venezuela and Cuba. This is followed by a short interview with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink saying that "we are a group of women for peace, and we're here to say that our government has a 'War on Terror,' and we're looking for terrorist all over the world." Benjamin is then cut off, leaving one with an incomplete picture of their official mission. No mention of gathering signatures for the FBI, no mention the FBI billboards, no mention of Posada's past. Instead, time is given to a counter-protester extolling Posada as a "fighter for Cuba's freedom," and estimates the counter-protest crowd at more than 500, instead of the much reported 200-300.

Interestingly, the Noticias23 report includes a brief interview with Ada Rojas, Community Relations Coordinator for the City of Miami. Rojas is shown trying to control some of the crowd (with little success), along with city police. Rojas is quoted saying: "The Cuban community like always there's lots of emotions." It's not clear what the City of Miami's Community Relations Board(CRB) mission is, but if it's anything like Miami-Dade County's CRB, then they have a lot of work to do, mainly in creating an atmosphere "free from sectarianism and prejudice." According to one report, Ada Rojas was once "in charge of a permitted event at the Miami Arena where approximately 200 people demonstrated peacefully." How lucky for them, but not for Code Pink.

Let Ada Rojas know how you feel about Code Pink's demonstration in Little Havana.


TELEMUNDO51

Anyway, the Telemundo51 report was much better than the Univision report. Despite not showing the video of the Code Pink truck being charged at by some counter-protesters, the reporter (Ana Cuervo) does make it up by including important facts.

Cuervo interviews Medea Benjamin accurately stating the mission of the Code Pink demonstration, which included the handing out and gathering of signatures asking the FBI to detain Luis Posada Carriles to be extradited. The postcards would then be delivered to the FBI by Code Pink. But, Cuervo doesn't mention the controversy behind Posada's militant past, and instead includes an interview with a counter-protester (former political prisoner Miguel Pardo) saying that Posada has been acquitted of his crimes.

Later, Benjamin is quoted saying that Code Pink was "attacked" and denied their "rights of free expression" by counter-protesters at the Versailles Restaurant. But, by not including the video of Code Pink being chased away, Telemundo51 viewers are left guessing about what EXACTLY happened, and perhaps thinking that if it wasn't serious, then Code Pink maybe deserved what they got.

The report begins with Cuervo describing the counter-protest crowd as "more than ready" in confronting Code Pink, but ends saying that Code Pink later went to the police department to make a complaint on the large counter-protest crowd for impeding their planned demonstration. Without knowing EXACTLY what had occurred, co-anchor Ivan Taylor in the end responds saying: "Surely they left with a big surprise."

I would call it more than just a "big surprise."

[Part 1]
[Epilogue]

[Photo above by Danny Hamontree]

Bias at 11

Bias - "to influence in a particular, typically unfair direction"

Analysis of three television news reports on January 19, 2006, at 11pm. The story covered was the January 19 demonstration at the Bay of Pigs memorial calling for the release of Luis Posada Carriles, which was planned from noon to 6pm.

None of the reporters stated that the members of the Bolivarian Youth (counter-demonstrators) were attacked, even after the video clearly shows that they were. Instead, the reporters used words like "feet start flying" and "the screaming and hitting... became the main story" to imply that BOTH sides engaged in violence. This is inaccurate. None of the reporters make efforts to identify those that initiated the attack.

THREE STORIES

That evening, I noticed only three local stations had produced a story for the 11pm news concerning the demonstration: Noticias23(Univision), CBS4 News, and Telemundo51. It looks like NBC6, WSVN7(FOX), and Local10(ABC) news did not cover the story, it does not appear on their respective websites. I did not check to see if MegaTV or America Teve covered the demonstration that evening, but their websites do not show the story.

NOTICIAS 23 (Univision)

Gloria Ordaz reports with a basic description of a peaceful protest which is then disrupted by violence. Ordaz includes the video of the attack (same video from CBS4) but doesn't identify who attacked, and does not include narration during the video. Ordaz interviews Miguel Saavedra, leader of Vigilia Mambisa, for his side of the story. Saavedra says: "they [counter-demonstrators] offended us... they provoked us." Ordaz also interviews local activist Ramon Saul Sanchez, member of the Movimiento Democracia, who appropriately describes the attack: "This is what occurs in Cuba."

TELEMUNDO 51

Claudinne Caro spends more time on the "peaceful" demonstration and Carriles, and briefly mentions the attack. She also does not identify the attackers, but even more, she does not include the video of the attack as part of her story. Instead, like Ordaz, Caro gets a description of events from Miguel Saavedra. Saavedra says that a fight did take place, but doesn't say who started. Interestingly, Saavedra's recollections are suspicious. He says that the counter-demonstrators held up a sign that said "abajo terrorismo, abajo Posada Carriles, terrorista" (down with terrorism, down with Posada Carriles, terrorist). The sign actually said: "Terroristas a la Carcel" (Terrorists go to jail). I suspect Saavedra was too angry to care what the sign really meant, or was trying to justify his own violent actions.

CBS4

Evan Bacon also begins with a standard description of a peaceful demonstration interrupted by violence. Bacon includes the video of the attack, in which Bacon provides narration and identifies Saavedra as part of the violence, but never identifies who started the fight. Oddly, Bacon DOES use the word "attack"(twice!), BUT for his online story, not for broadcast. Online, Bacon reports: "the Posada supporters... started attacking" and "the Posada demonstrators... began attacking." The 11pm story and the online story are of very different tones.

None of the three 11pm stories use the word "attack", or identify who initiated the fight, despite the fact that there is video evidence showing who did. Two reports use Miguel Saavedra's description of events, and make no effort to get an opposing viewpoint from several eyewitnesses. All stories inaccurately describe the violence with ambiguity, suggesting equal violence from both sides. Yet another lesson of local media bias concerning the issue of Cuba.

The issue of Cuba is perhaps the most influential and controversial in South Florida. The local media should be reporting, to their best efforts, any story that may have a large impact on the community. The case of Luis Posada Carriles should be covered intensely for reasons that he may be released some day, in spite of international condemnation of his history. The social consequences could be grave, locally, nationally and internationally.

Concerning Carriles, the local media, to my recollection, have not interviewed any serious source that clearly labels Luis Posada Carriles as a terrorist. Local reporters only skim the evidence, and prefer interviews with Carriles supporters.

Concerning the Bolivarian Youth, yesterday on MY33 news and today in the Miami Herald, they finally are being identified as the victims of the attack. Why weren't they identified as victims on the 19th, at 11pm after the video had already circulated?

Why did Ordaz and Caro settle on ONE side of the story? Isn't this a break with basic journalist principles?

Why were reporters, at 11pm, describing the fight with ambiguity? Why did Evan Bacon use the word "attack" online instead?

For those familiar with the political environment here in South Florida, the answer to these questions may be obvious.

Local reporters need to be more courageous.