I reread “Journalism, risks and dangers”, -published by Prensa Latina in 2015,- and thus return to the founding origins, the many vicissitudes and also to the achievements achieved in the communication battle at the cost of effort, commitment, talent and the decision of hundreds of men and women who from the beginning and throughout various stages agreed that it was necessary to confront media terrorism and its twin sister, cultural colonization, once and for all. And so they did and do until today.
As is known, the genesis of Prensa Latina as a Latin American news agency is in the Sierra Maestra and arose during the working visit made by the Argentine journalist Jorge Ricardo Masetti and through the conversations and exchanges he then had with Fidel and Che, who They passionately supported this idea.
The revolutionary triumph in Cuba on January 1, 1959 made the possibilities of launching the audacious project become a reality. Masetti returned to the country and began a feverish organizational activity, resolving countless material and technical difficulties and dedicating himself fully to the work of bringing together Cuban and Latin American journalists who were capable of committing to an initiative that seemed to have a future but that, at the same time, It included many risks of all kinds.
If we remember the information situation in Cuba and the other countries of Our America in those times we would see that it was dominated and controlled in practically absolute terms by transnational corporations based in the United States. The challenge for the nascent Latin Press was, therefore, immense and seemed unattainable.
On June 16, 1959 – remember that date well – the daring project was launched, which from the beginning ran into the hostility and aggression that also arose against the Cuban Revolution, of which it was the fruit.
Thus began the 64 years that culminate today and throughout the various stages experienced show the creative resistance and maturity of PL as a news organization and source of culture, capable of successfully facing the greatest difficulties, solving them and moving forward.
Those who gave it only a few days of life are surely now amazed when they see its development and its impetus, from the youngest press professionals to the most veterans, who still collaborate and bring their well-established experiences and knowledge to the young generation.
After more than six decades at the service of the truth, Prensa Latina can proudly display its attachment to journalistic ethics and a true cult of objectivity and the certainty of what it transmits, faithful to the motto instilled by Masetti: “be objective but not impartial.”
It would be unfair, as well as risky, to list names and circumstances that have exalted and honored PL during these years of ideological struggle in the field of Latin American journalism. I prefer to highlight the name of Jorge Ricardo Masetti and project it as a symbol that surrounds and represents everyone; Along with him and after him, there was always a plethora of collaborators willing to share the risks and dangers of being a pioneer in the information emancipation of Latin America and the Caribbean.
In the new times we live in, dragged by the maelstrom of the so-called “social networks” and new communication technologies, Prensa Latina strives to continue giving the best of its teachings and experiences to the new media that may emerge with a similar purpose. . It is his solidarity and internationalist duty and he fulfills it.
The arrival of the Internet and other communication innovations did not surprise Prensa Latina; the Latin American news agency moved quickly to these scenarios and is currently a varied multi-platform that has a wide variety of services and reaches the entire world.
The changes that are taking place in Our America are undoubtedly dramatic and hopeful, but they must also be irreversible. In this coming fight the Cuban Revolution will play its role and will be accompanied, as always, by the firmness of principles and the professional efficiency of Prensa Latina and its collective. (Work originally published June 5, 2023).
