This summer, fifteen UF journalism students will fly to Cuba to hone their reporting skills in a country that ranks among the worst in terms of press freedom, according to activist groups.
The trip, announced Jan. 12, will allow students to spend 10 days near the country’s capital of Havana, where they will gain experience with multimedia storytelling, said Matt Sheehan, the director of stories and emerging platforms lecturer.
“We’re going down to seek the truth and report it,” Sheehan said. “Tell the stories of people who may not have their stories told.”
But according to the 2016 Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders, Cuba ranks 171st out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom. And in 2016, the non-partisan non-governmental organization Freedom House ranked Cuba’s press freedom as 91 out of 100, with 100 being the worse, stating the country has the “most repressive environment for media in the Americas.”
Although this isn’t the first UF course taught in Cuba, it’s a first for the UF College of Journalism and Communications.
The course, which costs $1,898 without airfare, extends from May 3 to May 12, according to the website.
The submission deadline is Feb. 15.
Amaury Sablon, a UF telecommunication junior born in Cuba, said he hopes the trip helps participants challenge preconceived notions about the country, specifically
that it is not safe.
“I’ve been all over Europe and over 20 countries, and yet I’ve never felt safer than in Cuba,” Sablon said.
