Televisions, radios, and newspapers are all closely monitored by the government. The constitution prohibits privately owned media. Tele Rebelde and Cubavisión are the leading TV channels, and Radio Reloj is the radio station with the most listeners. Granma is the most widely distributed newspaper, and like all media, it is under state control. The independent media landscape, which emerged with the rise of internet access in the mid-2010s and was driven by a new generation of journalists, has been gradually stifled by repression. At the same time, media outlets run by exiled dissident journalists — primarily based in the United States — remain active and continue to produce information that is banned from dissemination through Cuba’s official press channels. 

Miguel Díaz-Canel, a protégé of Raúl Castro, replaced the latter in 2019 as the country’s president, and then as first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party. Like Raúl Castro and his late brother Fidel, who had ruled since 1959, he maintains almost total control over news and information.

The Cuban Constitution states that “the main social communication media, regardless of their format or platform, belong to the people under a regime of socialist ownership or to political, social, and mass organizations. Any other form of ownership is prohibited.” In keeping with this principle, Cuba’s Social Communication Law (2024) strictly regulates the media, which are mostly public or affiliated with political and social organisations. Others may operate only in connection with a primary activity and must be registered following transparency requirements. Online, content creators must adhere to strict rules. The state controls online communication and telecommunications providers ensure its enforcement. The penal code adopted in 2022 reinforces the repertoire of Cuban repression with vague terms such as “public disturbances”, “contempt”, and “danger to constitutional order” that can easily be used as grounds for prosecuting journalists.

Cuba is experiencing a difficult economic situation, marked by shortages of essential goods, high inflation and limited access to foreign currency. The new 2019 Constitution authorised private property and foreign investment, but the economic recovery remains fragile. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, internal economic measures, and the US embargo have continued to hinder growth.

More than half a million people have emigrated in a two-year period and the outbreak of protests reflects deep social discontent. Major demonstrations took place in July 2021 and in March 2024 across several regions of the country.

Arrests, arbitrary detentions, threats of imprisonment, persecution and harassment, illegal raids on homes, and the confiscation and destruction of equipment — all this awaits journalists who do not toe the Cuban Communist Party line.