Old news

Rather ironic in the face of the debate about what we hear about Cuba, that today on the news librarians' listserv, there was a posting linking to a Boston Globe story about a journalist most folks have never heard of.

William Worthy was a well-respected journalist for many years of his long career, but when, in the early 60s, he decided he wanted to see what was going on in Cuba for himself, he got into hot water with the American government. Now he's an old man struggling to survive. Columnist Adrian Walker, in the Globe: Reclaiming a gallant voice. The story came about because he's receiving an award from the Nieman Foundation today.

In a site devoted to Worthy's career, there are lyrics of a Tom Paxton song written about him in the '60s. Worth a couple quotes:

Well, it's of a bold reporter whose story I will tell
He went down to the Cuban land, the nearest place to hell...

...Oh why'd he waste his time to see a dictator's reign
When he could have seen democracy by travelin' on to Spain?

That was Franco's Spain and dictator Castro's 'hell'.
Thanks to Larry Lopez and Barbara Semonche for the links.