Leave it to the mainstream media to highlight the latest "accomplishment" of the Castros’ oppressive regime.
One of Yahoo.com’s front page news items Monday morning linked to a story from the Associated Press about Elian Gonzalez’s entrance into Cuba’s Young Communist Union. The short uncredited story put the news this way:
The Cuban boy at the center of an international custody battle eight years ago has joined Cuba's Young Communist Union.
Communist youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde quotes Elian Gonzalez as saying he will never let down ex-President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro, who succeeded Fidel earlier this year.
Story Continues Below Ad ↓Now 14, Elian was 6 when Miami relatives lost their fight to keep him in the United States and he was returned to Cuba in mid-2000 with his father.
Elian had survived a boating accident off the Florida coast that killed his mother, who was attempting to get to the U.S.
Juventud Rebelde says in its Sunday edition that the boy was among 18,000 people who joined the group on Saturday.
"[H]e will never let down" the Castros? As NewsBuster Lyford Beverage put it when the AP reported that Elian sent Fidel Castro a "get better soon" note in 2006, "does anyone with children think that sounds like the un-prompted action, and un-scripted words of a [now 14-year old] boy?" In the 2006 story, the AP used the same "communist youth newspaper" as a source.
The AP, as CBS correspondent Bob Simon did when he interviewed Elian in the 2005, failed to ask the obvious questions: is this something the kid really wanted to do, or does he feel like he’s being used for political ends?
This oversight brings up a follow-up question: why is young Elian more important than the 18,000 people who apparently joined the Union on Saturday? It’s because he represents a continuing propaganda victory of the communist Cuban government over the United States, and both Yahoo! and the AP see no problem with helping them spread the news.
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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Most likely joined the Janet
June 16, 2008 - 11:43 ET by RackieMost likely joined the Janet Reno brigade.
Who didn't know this was
June 16, 2008 - 12:14 ET by mattmWho didn't know this was going to happen? ...other than total idiots like Janet Reno and her pervert ex-boss...and they're brain-dead followers.
Hillary
June 16, 2008 - 12:20 ET by GothampcSort of makes me wish Hillary was still in the POTUS race so someone could ask her how she felt about Reno's turning away a helpless immigrant.
Janet "Red" Reno
June 16, 2008 - 12:17 ET by GothampcJanet Reno must be so proud. I'm sure Castro is on her Facebook page as a BFF.
"Miami relatives lost their
June 16, 2008 - 12:23 ET by Jerry"Miami relatives lost their fight to keep him in the United States.."
Lets see... A screaming, terrified 6 year old was abducted from his relatives at gunpoint in a commando style raid. Yes, I think the AP summed that up quite well.... NOT.
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
The Truth
June 16, 2008 - 12:30 ET by Gothampc"Lets see... A screaming, terrified 6 year old was abducted from his relatives at gunpoint in a commando style raid. Yes, I think the AP summed that up quite well.... NOT."
There was no gun. The kid saw Janet Reno's face and started screaming.
Much Ado About Nothing
June 16, 2008 - 12:24 ET by Agrarian-DecentralistAs with so many other articles at NewsBusters, this is much ado about nothing. Given that Gonzalez was much in the news during the fight over his return to Cuba, a "where/what are they now" story is a perfectly appropriate. Reporting on his entry into the Young Communist Union is just that---reporting. It does not suggest approval or disapproval. Just news value. As for citing a Communist youth newspaper, so what, and who else could they cite in this instance? The AP appropriately sourced its story, and any reasonably sophisticated reader will weigh the validity of that source---and Gonzalez' alleged comments about his loyalties---with the requisite skepticism.
As with so many other
June 16, 2008 - 12:36 ET by JerryAs with so many other comments by leftists, this is much no-do about something.
"a where/what are they now story is a perfectly appropriate"
I'm still waiting for a "where are they now" story on any of the thousands of Cubans that have risked their lives to get to America. If Elian had renounced Cuba, communism, and Clinton, the AP would have found nothing newsworthy in the story.
"The AP appropriately sourced its story.."
Right, a pro-communist story from a communist country sourced by a pro-communist, gov't controlled newspaper.
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
Alrighty then
June 16, 2008 - 13:25 ET by Indiana JoeNothing to see here, folks. Move along.
Yeah I have to agree.
June 16, 2008 - 14:29 ET by Cureboy675Yeah I have to agree. This is only a big deal because this kid was at the top of the headlines a few years ago. And because the kid is now doing something pretty extreme.
But I wouldn't read it as Yahoo! or the Associated Press embracing Fidel Castro...I mean, these are the same news outlets that send out breaking news alerts dealing with a Britney Spears custody fight. Its all about their love for famous people doing wacky things.
"I don't want your 'us or them'..." -- The Cure
Marxists and Communist
June 16, 2008 - 12:41 ET by 10ksnookerAre to be celebrated it the brave new world ...
Ties to terrorsit are also to be celebrated.
All revolutions are communist based, don't you wonder why?
Mark today.
June 16, 2008 - 15:53 ET by okiehawk44I'll bet you that in 10 years, Barack Hussein Obama will own an oceanfront home in Cuba -- and yes, Cuba will still be ruled by the stalinist military.