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Perez Hilton's Rumors of Fidel Castro's Death Were Greatly Exaggerated
New York, 12:01 PM
Sun Nov 29
12 posts in the last 24 hours
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Perez Hilton's Rumors of Fidel Castro's Death Were Greatly Exaggerated |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/02/09
People listened to Perez Hilton in part because it seemed plausible that the Cuban regime might try and keep the news hushed up and word would have to leak out through back-channels. On the other hand, the regime has had plenty of time to plan, so maybe Castro's successor(s) would try to put out a statement quickly as a show of strength. #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
You have a point.
And actually so did PerezHilton - to some degree- in his Sept. 22, 2007 post when he said "We're not going to believe he's still alive until he takes a nice stroll through Havana. Live. Not in some pre-taped video. And only if he's accompanied by an independent news organization, like the Associated Press."
Without reliable information from the Cuban government, independent confirmation from trusted sources is needed regarding all Castro health and personal matters.
In fact, we have had no live, public sightings of Castro since July 26, 2006 though we know he's alive and seemingly okay because of private meetings he's had with friends and foreign leaders... most notably Oliver Stone in late August and Harry Belafonte a few weeks ago, among others.
And of course, Castro himself appeared on taped Cuban TV the very night of the PerezHilton rumor saga. #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
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11/02/09
The one thing we know for sure is that we will not get confirmation of Castro's death until he is well in the ground or, as is likely to be the case, his ashes are sprayed over Pico Turquino, his favorite haunt in the Sierra Maestra.
So all reporters covering Cuba know to expect precious little information from the Cuban government.
That said, the national pasttime of Cuba is gossip - from the highest echelons in the government to jineteras - or hustlers - on the Malecon. This informal information network is known as Radio Bemba and has sometimes been quite reliable.
The key is having good sources in the right places at the right time. In tracking Fidel's health, I've had some nice assists from staffers in in the hospital where his surgery took place and from some employees in the Ministry of Health and also from the odd indiscretion of family members confiding to friends.
But discussing Fidel's health publicly is a very tricky business -and those who do, do so at some risk and peril. #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
11/02/09
Not really- the old guard known as el exilio historico is more likely tuned into Spanish language radio like Radio Mambi,- which often traffics in their own Fidel is Dead rumors. Teens are more likely to be reading him and perhaps some web hounds in Miami. #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
Great excerpt. As someone who has had the displeasure of dealing with Perez Hilton on both a "professional" (read: blogosphere) and personal level, I always find others' assessments of him to be fascinating.
My question: Did you attempt to interview Perez for your book and/or get a statement from him related to his false reporting? If so, what was the result?
From what I've seen/heard, he stood by the story for another month or so -- judging by this post on September 22, 2007 -- and then never mentioned it again until February 19, 2008 with this post about Castro's resignation. Even in the second post, he didn't offer anything beyond "He may still be alive, but he's definitely no longer dictator of Cuba!" as an indication that his previous reports were inaccurate.
As you mentioned in the excerpt, this wasn't just another trivial story about a Hollywood fame whore, and his false reporting had actual implications. Have you challenged him on any of this? Have you, -- or has anyone -- tried to force him to admit that he was just plain wrong?
Again, thanks for participating! I look forward to reading more from your book.
Matt #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
For the purpose of this book- which deals with the nexis of Cuban/Miami/Washington politics, I simply tracked and quoted from his blog. It seemed to say it all. Then I followed the trail through the mainstream media as they followed his scent. #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
11/02/09
I would guess in the thousands in overtime etc. as the Miami Dade PD probably ramped up patrols for a few days in and around Calle Ocho. #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
[www.guardian.co.uk] #annlouisebardach
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11/02/09
Actually, he was not well known in the South Florida exile community
as someone with political stature. Rather he was known as a gossip columnist, same as elsewhere.
What aided him was/is the news blackout in Cuba about Fidel's health status etc... so a hungry mainstream media jumped on it.
11/02/09
11/02/09
yes, i would say it was among the biggest "Fidel is Dead" rumor cycles in history because of the web. Indeed, it rivaled the one in 1956 when a credulous UPI reporter went with a press handout from Batista's government declaring that Castro had been killed - which was also picked up by many in the mainstream media. #annlouisebardach
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11/02/09
It may have been in terms of some costs to Miami. Whenever it is believed that Fidel's passing is imminent, the Miami police department ramps up patrols of certain neighborhoods and moves forward with contingency plans - in case the revelry gets too spirited. #annlouisebardach
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11/02/09
I do not think he conceded he was wrong...but cannot say for sure as I did not I track him much beyond this incident.
Probably part of it was his wishful thinking - shared by quite a few Cuban-Americans - and the other was wanting the big scoop. Not such a good combination for a reporter. #annlouisebardach
11/02/09
As Castro told me in 1994 when i interviewed him for Vanity Fair, no detail regarding his inevitable passing has been overlooked ...They have honed their sucession plan repeatedly for more than a decade. We need only to recall how seamless the transition was to Raul Castro once Fidel fell ill. There is a good deal on this issue in the book in Part One: The Long Dying. #annlouisebardach