Specifics of media coverage of anti-government protests in Cuba (2021)

Abstract

The article is devoted to revealing the features of coverage of the Anti-Government demonstrations in Cuban information space in July 2021. They began due to the social and economic crisis. According to the Cuban government, the crisis was caused by sanctions from the USA. On the other hand, the opposition considers that it is the consequence of the communist dictatorship reigning in the country. The authors of the article set themselves the goal of investigating media interpretations of the events as in the traditional media controlled by the state, and in the specific social and communication environment of the Internet space. Having analyzed the publications of the largest Cuban mass media, such as the newspaper «Granma» and portal «Cubadabate», as well as the materials of social networks, the authors have come to the conclusion that the massive spread of the Internet in 2018 marked the beginning of gradual changes in the media landscape of the country: social media have become an alternative source of information that has influenced the Cuban social and political life. They have served as social organizers not only online but also offline when having the popularity and taking a new platform for the promotion of anti-government ideas. One of the examples of its phenomenon were the protests on July 11, 2021, which have become a new challenge to the political leadership of a country that has been fighting the US economic blockade for decades.