Cubans and the Mass Media in South Florida

ISBN-13: 9780813013794 / Angielski / Twarda / 1996 / 160 str.

Gonzalo R. Soruco

Opis

"Illuminating and relevant. . . . benchmark data and, most importantly, interpretations and inferences from the data and literature on the roles of the mass media among Cubans."--Timothy P. Meyer, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
"Breaks new ground. . . . focuses on an important group within the general Hispanic community, highlighting how the social, political, and economic forces affect the mass media which serve it."--Rodolfo Cortina, Florida International University
After 30 years of exile in south Florida, many Cubans have begun to accept the possibility that they will never return home. Their children and grandchildren have adapted to the American way of life and have begun the process of assimilation. Gonzalo Soruco looks at how these exiles--nearly half a million since 1959--and their offspring use the mass media in the greater Miami area.
For the most part Cuban exiles are not like other Hispanic immigrants; they are older, more affluent, and better educated. They are part of a powerful conservative political machine and an extensive social network. And they are passionate about their anti-Castro cause.
Almost inevitably in this climate, leaders of the Cuban community have taken issue with the Miami Herald's reportorial philosophy and its coverage of Cubans. As the Herald's traditional Anglo readers moved out of Dade County, the paper was shaken into action: it hired Spanish-speaking journalists, promoted Hispanic reporters into the paper's management, started a Spanish-language newspaper, and took a turn to the ideological right. Soruco analyzes these events and discovers that--contrary to accusations in the media--Cubans do not think that the English-language media are instruments of either right- or left-wing propaganda. He also discusses the Cuban relationship with radio and television.
As public debate continues about the Americanization of Cubans, particularly with regard to bilingual education, this work will find a wide audience. It will be especially useful to television advertisers, market researchers, people in the print media in south Florida, and those enterprises interested in Cubans as a business bridge to Latin America.
Gonzalo R. Soruco is associate professor of communication at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. He is the author of articles in Market Research, Marketing Review, Opinion, Encounter, and other journals."