Amid a severe energy crisis, widespread food shortages, and suffocating inflation, the Cuban government has once again turned to its traditional ideological resistance tactics.
Through its main propaganda outlet, the official newspaper Granma, the Havana regime has launched a harsh rhetorical attack aimed at discrediting both the popular unrest and the coverage by foreign media, accusing them of being part of a complex destabilization plan.
In an opinion piece titled “Complicity or Subversive Protagonism Seeking an Outburst?”, penned by Francisco Arias Fernández, the regime spares no adjectives in criticizing the work of foreign correspondents and accredited news agencies on the island.
The article directly accuses internationally renowned media of aligning with Washington’s interests, stating that “media or correspondents accredited in Havana, at Washington's orders, like the unfriendly and biased agency EFE, mingle with cyber-mercenaries” to heat up the political scene during the summer months.
The Government's Perspective on Media Coverage
For the Cuban government, the flow of information about the island’s dire reality isn’t seen as a reflection of a structural crisis, but rather as a deliberate campaign of suffocation and manipulation.
According to the official rhetoric, the ultimate goal of this journalistic coverage is to justify foreign intervention.
The article claims that foreign powers and their alleged media allies “bet that the martyrdom caused by the White House and amplified in their way by media monopolies will be the sure trigger for internal destabilization and the justification for a ‘humanitarian intervention’.”
The Reality on the Ground vs. Official Narrative
However, behind the belligerent terminology of “unconventional warfare” lies a palpable fear: the recurrence of spontaneous social uprisings like those seen in July 2021.
By attributing any hint of protest to an external conspiracy, the state discourse attempts to strip legitimacy and spontaneity from the citizens’ demands, who daily endure the deterioration of basic public services.
Granma’s own text indirectly acknowledges the gravity of the situation, admitting that its adversaries are “hopeful that the blackouts, lack of fuel, water, food, medicine, transportation, and other basic service shortages will push the resistance to the brink.”
Nevertheless, rather than proposing deep economic reforms or structural solutions to these shortages, the official narrative prefers to categorize any citizen complaint as criminal, claiming that the population is being incited “to disorder and to challenge our people’s social peace and security.”
Discrediting Dissent and Diplomacy
The offensive isn’t limited to correspondents in Havana; it also targets civil activism and opposition figures gaining visibility on international stages.
For the regime, reporting on the deterioration of human and economic rights in Cuba to multilateral organizations is interpreted as a taxpayer-funded betrayal.
The article castigates these actors, accusing them of being “stateless, fortune hunters, constantly on international tours with all expenses paid by taxpayer funds diverted by the architects of the destructive plan against Cuba,” whose only goal, according to the official media, is to bring their message to the UN or the European Parliament.
Ultimately, the strategy of blaming the messenger reveals the Cuban government's growing difficulty in controlling the flow of information in the digital age.
By pointing fingers at international agencies and labeling popular frustration as “subversion,” Havana attempts to shield its management from criticism, a rhetorical resource increasingly worn out by the stark and inescapable reality faced by millions of Cubans daily.
Understanding Cuba's Media Suppression Tactics
Why does the Cuban government target international media?
The Cuban government targets international media to discredit their coverage of the country's crises, accusing them of being part of a destabilization plan led by foreign powers, particularly the United States.
How does Cuba's official media view foreign correspondents?
Cuba's official media views foreign correspondents as biased and aligned with Washington's interests, accusing them of mingling with cyber-mercenaries to manipulate the political scene.
What is the Cuban regime's stance on citizen protests?
The Cuban regime attributes citizen protests to external conspiracies, attempting to delegitimize them and portray any dissent as criminal activity instigated by foreign interests.