When Roxanne De La Rosa learned that the Cronkite School offered a program that allowed students to study abroad in Cuba, she knew she couldn’t miss the opportunity to explore another Latin American country.
De La Rosa had previously traveled to the Dominican Republic on a Cronkite Borderlands Initiative reporting trip, which stoked her desire to visit more countries in that region.
“Because I loved my experience in the Dominican Republic, I was like, ‘Well, why not take advantage of everything Cronkite has to offer and experience another country?’” said De La Rosa, who graduated from Cronkite in May with her Master of Mass Communication degree.
De La Rosa was one of seven students who visited Cuba in May as part of the “Media, Culture and Society in Cuba” class, which used the country as a case study to examine how the media reflects and shapes society, and how social changes are reflected in the media.
The trip was hosted by Cronkite Global Initiatives and funded by the Severson Cronkite Global Media Experience Fund, which was established in 2022 to provide scholarly and academic global learning opportunities for Cronkite students.
“Cuba has such a vibrant culture. Beyond the tourism of the classic 1950s cars and other stereotypes, this Cronkite Study Abroad allowed our students to mingle with local college students, listen to scholars, question journalists, and hear from entrepreneurs on the cutting edge of societal changes,” said Cronkite Professor Emeritus Bill Silcock, who led the trip. “ What an opportunity made possible by the Severson family grant. My life and no doubt those of our students were changed forever.”
During the weeklong trip, the Cronkite students stayed with host families, toured the José Martí Memorial Museum and Casa de África Museum & Cultural Center, visited Ernest Hemingway’s former home in Havana and took a walking tour of Old Havana.
The group also toured a state-run radio station, and discussed the history of Cuban media with CNN’s Havana-based correspondent Patrick Oppmann and former Cuban TV journalist and scholar Cristina Escobar.
Cronkite students visited Cuba in May to examine how the media reflects and shapes society, and how social changes are reflected in the media. Photo courtesy of Bill Silcock.
“We focused on the interplay of media, culture, and the reality of Cuban society. We learned history and sociopolitical relations from professors at the University of Havana,” said Karina Luna, a Cronkite doctoral student who co-led the trip with Silcock. “We also discussed Cuban life with local students from the same university.”
De La Rosa saw the contrasts between the rich culture, scenic landscape and educated population alongside the poverty, limited internet access and outdated infrastructure within the country, she said.
“They told us that their values as a society are education and health care, and providing that for free,” she said. “And I feel like here in the U.S. we have the opposite.”
De La Rosa also noticed striking differences between press freedom in Cuba and the United States, which reinforced the importance of the First Amendment and the government’s influence on the media, she said.
“They don’t have freedom of the press. Their number one radio station is owned by the government,” she said.
De La Rosa learned that it’s challenging for reporters to verify stories because there’s no access to information or public records, and people are reluctant to speak on camera. “You can’t hold anyone accountable because you don’t know what’s going on,” she said.
The trip allowed her to dispel a lot of myths and reflect on the challenges that face both Cuba and the U.S.
“Cuba has its problems, but it’s a beautiful country,” she said. “I feel very grateful for what I have here (in the U.S.), but I know we’re not perfect.”