Ideas, case studies and story links captured by Tiago Costa.
Demystifying Media Series: Will Grant, reporter for BBC News
Correspondent in Cuba, since October 2014. Based in Havana. @will__grant
Grant reports mainly from Cuba, but also Mexico and Venezuela.
He feels a big privilege behind being a storyteller. However, there are challenges when involving operating in those nations. Each country is different, and each one has its own stresses.
Basic goods are in crises in most of these countries. Big economic inflation is a reality in Latin America. But, in the middle of the crises, there are always interesting stories to tell.
Mexico is one of the cities that is more difficult to do journalistic work. A lot of local journalists are targeted and killed. Especially when the reports involve the drug cartels.
Example of two reports by Will Grant made in Mexico:
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Cuba is the 10th most censored country in the world. https://cpj.org/2015/04/10-most-censored-countries.php. Also, CPJ says 45 professional journalists were killed in Mexico since 1992. https://cpj.org/americas/mexico/
“The journalism that I understand, is very much about independence, clarity, and objectivity.”
Eratosthenes is the father of geography and a great reference for the work of Grant.
Geography: Literally, “graph writing” geo + earth. www.britannica.com/biography/Eratosthenes
“It doesn’t matter where you are, there are really connections with geography. We should write about the earth, the experiences. We are involved in the storytelling, that’s why we constantly call news stories. It’s the right about the earth.”
Two key ideas about covering in Latin America:
Practical- Daily concerns;
Editorial- Produce unbiased reports.
Cuba’s Practicalities
Lack of internet access: If you’re on deadline, this is challenging and stressful. Skype is blocked.
US economic embargo: Finding stuff is challenging, like cameras, batteries; just normal things.
Bureaucracy
Crumbling infrastructure
Hurricane Season
Mexico’s Practicalities
Personal security (most dangerous country outside of war zone for journalists)
Drug cartels have a big power in the society
Corruption among police and military
Earthquakes and natural disasters play a big role
Hostile environment
“BBC takes this stuff pretty seriously.” Courses to simulate reality are done to prepare journalists. “They feel a real duty of care toward its journalists.”
Example of an HEFAT training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf_uDMZsLfE; https://rorypecktrust.org/freelance-assistance/Rory-Peck-Training-Fund
Venezuela is a super hostile country at the moment
Hyper-inflation and cash flow are negative
Violence, especially in Caracas, is pretty intense
Demonstrations, protests, riots, and confronts with police are constant
Infrastructure (water and blackouts)
Traffic, and roads
Personal Safety
Videos about the Venezuela riots: https://youtu.be/OAOcnC–Haw, https://youtu.be/khkDAdH_2F8, https://youtu.be/PwQcVx9-bpw
Editorial similarities
Political extremes and polarization
Strongman or ‘caudillo’
Siege mentality
Fear – of deviating from official script / fear of retribution or cartel consequences
Surveillance – paranoia vs. self-preservation
Censorship
People think about journalists: “You are part of the problem. How dare you come here and change [our] project.” Asking the difficult questions can be challenging; people don’t accept well. Journalists put themselves in uncomfortable situations.
Challenges for US journalists:
Visas and travel rules are different for Americans, comparing to Europeans (for example);
There is a certain hostility against the American ideology;
Protection? Not as much protection;
US audiences judge the Latin culture in the way they may not like;
Washington policy, or the cooperation with those countries can change while working over there, and that can be an unexpected problem to solve while working on field.
“This is the coolest job in the world.”
“Do something you love.”
It’s an interesting moment to cover these countries. There is less money to report internationally. BBC has been keeping the bureau in Havana, but other stations are closing. If you ended up doing freelance, the budgets are much lower. Professionals put their lives in risk.
Corruption is a big problem in the Latin America. Corruption was brought by the old world. There is corruption in Europe as well, but “it’s dressed in better suits.” A bigger problem is impunity. People commit crimes and they go away with no consequences.
Best story?
In Cuba: Grant felt a real privilege to be there during the Obama administration. The majority of the stories before were featured, not many hard news. Suddenly, during Obama’s administration, the two nations were talking, planning, and collaborating. Obama believed that something was being changed by the close relation. On top of that, the Fidel’s death contributed for this situation. It was an extraordinary period to live and report from Cuba. Conclusion: Grant doesn’t have a favorite story, but all the interesting moment he lived in Cuba.
One thing about Cuba that young Americans don’t know?
In order to consume the same products that everyone consume internationally, people use Paquete. An illegal stream to share content. Check this article by Wired Magazine: https://www.wired.com/2017/07/inside-cubas-diy-internet-revolution/