CPJ calls on Cuban government to free media from state control

Miami, Aug. 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is disappointed that the Cuban government has not seen it fit to include independent media on its new list of professional activities freed from state control among economic reforms, according to news reports.

On Wednesday, the government announced reforms allowing private enterprise in economic sectors such as transport and energy, as well as pharmacies, law firms and architects. But it specifically excluded education, medical providers and media. In one small concession, it authorized private audio-visual and cinematic production services.

“By excluding independent media from its latest reforms, the Cuban government is making clear that it has no intention of loosening its grip on the press,” said José Zamora, CPJ’s regional director for the Americas. “Economic change cannot substitute for fundamental freedoms. Cubans deserve the right to report, publish, and access independent information without state control.”

Independent journalist and podcaster Yoani Sanchez told her listeners on Wednesday that she was not surprised that the Cuban government is unwilling to give up its “absolute monopoly” over the media. The Cuban media outlet she founded, 14ymedio, cited Article 55 of Cuba’s 2019 Constitution which states that “the means of social communication, in any of their forms or media, are the socialist property of the entire people or of political, social, and mass organizations, and may not be subject to any other form of ownership.”