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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Revealed: USAID, NED & Open Society Quietly Bankroll Cuba\u2019s \u201cIndependent\u201d Media In Push for Regime Change</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Alan Macleod</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">May 15, 2026</div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div><img src="cid:ii_mp9wav8z0" alt="image.png" width="497" height="280"><br><p><span>Amid
escalating U.S. aggression towards the Cuban island through a maximum
pressure campaign and the threat of military intervention, the United
States government has been covertly funding a huge network of Cuban
media outlets that claim to be independent in a push for regime change
against the independent socialist government. </span></p>
<p><span>These outlets present themselves as unbiased investigative
journalism, but are quietly being financed by Washington through USAID,
the National Endowment for Democracy and the Open Society Foundation in
order to sow discontent across the Caribbean nation, softening it up for
a potentially \u201c</span><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/11/trump-cuba-pressure-military-action-talk" target="_blank"><span>imminent</span></a><span>\u201d invasion by the Trump administration. </span></p>
<p><span>Cuba faces some of its worst energy blackouts in its history,
thanks to the U.S. blockade, which is attempting to strange the island
into submission. As a Communist state defying U.S. orders, Cuba has,
since 1959, been in the crosshairs of Washington, who are attempting to
overthrow the government. </span><span>MintPress sheds light on this shady regime change nexus.</span></p>
<h2><span>Independent Journalism, Brought To You By The State Department</span></h2>
<p><span>CubaNet is one of the most influential and well-established
news outlets covering affairs on the Caribbean island. Founded by
anti-government activists in 1994, the site has become the go-to source
of information for corporate media, who regularly cite it, and present
it as an objective and unbiased independent media (e.g., </span><a href="https://archive.ph/6Ks2x" target="_blank"><span>The Washington Post</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/castro-and-human-dignity-1480886847" target="_blank"><span>The Wall Street Journal</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/uninsured-florida-college-student-stranded-in-cuba-after-horrific-car-crash" target="_blank"><span>Fox News</span></a><span>, and </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/espanol/entretenimiento/articulo/2020-11-19/aparece-muerta-en-una-playa-la-actriz-cubana-broselianda-hernandez" target="_blank"><span>The Los Angeles Times</span></a><span>). CubaNet reporters have written </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/08/13/cuba-protests-freedom-communism-socialism-july-inflation-food/8099165002/" target="_blank"><span>op-eds</span></a><span> in major U.S. newspapers such as USA Today, calling for an immediate change in government on the island. </span></p>
<p><span>But CubaNet is not as independent as it seems. The outlet is bankrolled by the U.S. national security state. CubaNet has </span><a href="https://www.cubanet.org/htdocs/weare.html" target="_blank"><span>received</span></a><span> millions of dollars in funding from USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, as well as the Open Society Foundation. </span></p>
<p><span>One currently active $500,000 USAID </span><a href="https://foreignassistance.gov/cd/cuba/" target="_blank"><span>grant</span></a><span>,
for instance, was awarded to CubaNet to \u201cengage on-island young Cubans
through objective and uncensored multimedia journalism.\u201d While
ostensibly a laudable goal, even the grant\u2019s own one-sentence
description hints that its purpose is to undermine and attack the Cuban
government. It states that it will (emphasis added) \u201cincrease the free
flow of information to and from Cuba in order to offset the </span><i><span>regime\u2019s disinformation campaigns.</span></i><span>\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>Another news organization receiving huge sums of money from
Washington is ADN Cuba. Literally meaning \u201cCuba\u2019s DNA,\u201d the outlet has
amassed a significant following online, boasting over 100,000
subscribers on YouTube, over 200,000 on Instagram, and over 1.3 million
on Facebook. It </span><a href="https://adncuba.com/es/derechos-humanos/cubalex-busca-alternativas-para-continuar-con-la-defensa-de-los-derechos-humanos" target="_blank"><span>describes</span></a><span>
itself as \u201can independent media outlet committed to freedom and
democracy in Cuba.\u201d Yet it is actually based in Spain. And it does not
seem particularly committed to transparency about its funding. </span></p>
<p><span>What is clear, however, is that ADN Cuba has received millions
of dollars from the U.S. national security state. In September 2024,
USAID </span><a href="https://foreignassistance.gov/cd/cuba/" target="_blank"><span>approved</span></a><span>
a $1.1 million grant to ADN Cuba \u2013 a gigantic amount of money for an
organization that publishes barely one story per day on its website.
This was on top of a $1.5 million allocation for the 2022-2024 period.
Indeed, since 2020, ADN Cuba has received in excess of </span><a href="https://mronline.org/2025/03/21/when-the-servants-cry/" target="_blank"><span>$3 million</span></a><span> from USAID alone. This relationship is not disclosed to readers\u2013 even in </span><a href="https://adncuba.com/es/politica/jose-daniel-ferrer-reclama-apoyo-para-los-medios-independientes-de-prensa" target="_blank"><span>stories</span></a><span> directly </span><a href="https://adncuba.com/es/politica/elon-musk-estuvo-en-cuba-en-comitiva-del-gobierno-de-barack-obama" target="_blank"><span>covering</span></a><span> USAID funding Cuban media\u2013 and is relegated to the footnotes of obscure U.S. government funding databases. </span></p>
<p><span>Diario de Cuba is another Spanish-based news outlet that
publishes a wide variety of stories, all with one thing in common: a
deep aversion to the Cuban government. The BBC </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35852188" target="_blank"><span>describes</span></a><span>
it and CubaNet as key sources for impartial news, run by journalists
who \u201creport without censorship and to paint a broader picture on the
country\u2019s reality.\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>And just like CubaNet, Diario de Cuba has received seven-figure funding from Washington. Between 2016 and 2020, Diario de Cuba </span><a href="https://mronline.org/2025/03/21/when-the-servants-cry/" target="_blank"><span>received</span></a><span>
$1.3 million in USAID cash \u2013 almost as much as CubaNet over the same
period. This generous funding has allowed it to reach a global audience,
with over 600,000 followers on Facebook alone. </span></p>
<h2><span>Regime Change Networks</span></h2>
<p><span>The Central Intelligence Agency used to directly (and secretly)
sponsor hundreds of media outlets across the world. However, after a
series of scandals and more information about its nefarious activities
came to public attention, Washington decided to outsource many of its
most controversial foreign operations to organizations such as the
National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Agency for International
Development. </span></p>
<p><span>\u201cIt would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to
be seen as subsidized by the CIA,\u201d Carl Gershman, the NED\u2019s longtime
president,</span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/hong-kong-protest-united-states-destabilize-china/261712/"> <span>said</span></a><span>,
explaining the 1983 decision to create his organization. NED co-founder
Allen Weinstein agreed: \u201cA lot of what we do today was done covertly 25
years ago by the CIA,\u201d he </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/hong-kong-protest-united-states-destabilize-china/261712/"><span>told</span></a><span> The Washington Post.</span></p>
<p><span>Under the guise of democracy promotion and human rights, the
U.S. government channels money to political and social groups across the
world in order to maximize its strategic goals, including regime
change. </span></p>
<p><span>In recent years, the U.S. has </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/revealed-the-cia-backed-think-tanks-fueling-the-iran-protests/290638/"><span>used</span></a><span> the twin organizations of the NED and USAID to </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/hong-kong-protest-united-states-destabilize-china/261712/"><span>bankroll</span></a><span> anti-government protests in Hong Kong, to </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-writes-belarus-familiar-regime-change-script/278700/"><span>attempt</span></a><span> a color revolution in Belarus, to </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-reveal-us-ned-spent-22m-promoting-anti-russia-narrative-ukraine/279734/"><span>overthrow</span></a><span> the government of Ukraine in 2014, and to </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/revealed-the-cia-backed-think-tanks-fueling-the-iran-protests/290638/"><span>organize</span></a><span> riots across Iran earlier this year. </span></p>
<p><span>In Cuba, the NED and USAID played a </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-point-to-us-hand-in-cuba-protests/277987/"><span>critical role</span></a><span>
in organizing a (failed) uprising against the government in 2021. USAID
in particular spent millions of dollars funding, organizing and
promoting the San Isidro Movement \u2013 a collective of musicians, artists,
and journalists\u2013 to lead a counter-revolution on the island. </span></p>
<p><span>San Isidro members were at the forefront of a wave of </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-point-to-us-hand-in-cuba-protests/277987/"><span>nationwide protests</span></a><span>
that July. The demonstrations were immediately signal boosted by
Western corporate media, top celebrities, and U.S. politicians,
including President Biden. Neitzens were flooded with the astroturfed
\u201cSOS Cuba\u201d campaign, that trended across the Internet for days. </span></p>
<p><span>In the end, however, the coordinated efforts of the U.S. failed
to convince ordinary Cubans to take to the streets, and the movement
quickly petered out. </span></p>
<p><span>Esteban Rodríguez, a key member of the San Isidro movement, is a producer at ADN Cuba.</span></p>
<h2><span>When U.S. Money Is Paused, \u201cIndependent\u201d Media Immediately Collapse</span></h2>
<p><span>The importance of U.S. government money to the survival and
operations of these outlets was underlined early last year when the
Trump administration chose to </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/usaid-media-funding-cuts-indepdent-news/289093/"><span>freeze</span></a><span>
funding to USAID and the NED. Announcing the decision, Elon Musk, then
head of the Department of Government Efficiency, described USAID in
particular as a \u201cviper\u2019s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate
America.\u201d </span></p>
<p><span>The effect on Cuban media was immediate. As soon as the money
stopped flowing, dozens of organizations faced immediate liquidation.
CubaNet published an emergency editorial asking readers to make up the
shortfall. \u201cWe are facing an unexpected challenge: the suspension of key
funding that sustained part of our work.\u201d they </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/usaid-media-funding-cuts-indepdent-news/289093/"><span>wrote</span></a><span>;
\u201cIf you value our work and believe in keeping the truth alive, we ask
for your support.\u201d \u201cWithout [USAID] funds, it will be extremely
difficult to continue,\u201d CubaNet director Roberto Hechavarría Pilia </span><a href="https://diariodecuba.com/derechos-humanos/1741006152_60148.html" target="_blank"><span>added</span></a><span>.</span></p>
<p><span>Diario de Cuba was in similarly dire straits. Its director, Pablo Díaz Espí,</span><a href="https://diariodecuba.com/cuba/1738958160_59821.html" target="_blank"> <span>noted</span></a><span>
that \u201caid to independent journalism from the government of the United
States has been suspended, which makes our work more difficult,\u201d asking
readers to donate. </span></p>
<p><span>Musk\u2019s decision accidentally revealed a sprawling </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/usaid-media-funding-cuts-indepdent-news/289093/"><span>network</span></a><span>
of over 6,200 reporters and nearly 1,000 outlets worldwide that were
quietly being trained, supported, and bankrolled by the CIA front, all
under the banner of promoting \u201cindependent\u201d media and freedom of
information.</span></p>
<p><span>Another supposedly independent Cuban outlet plunged into crisis was El Toque (The Touch). Founded in 2014 and </span><a href="https://mronline.org/2025/03/21/when-the-servants-cry/" target="_blank"><span>receiving</span></a><span>
hundreds of thousands of dollars from the NED, El Toque publishes in
Spanish and English, and attempts to manipulate the exchange rates in
Cuba. </span></p>
<p><span>The funding cut hit them badly, with editors announcing that
they would immediately have to lay off half their staff (15 people) and
stop working with dozens of freelancers, while </span><a href="https://latamjournalismreview.org/articles/hit-by-suspension-of-u-s-funds-latin-american-news-outlets-turn-to-new-survival-strategies/" target="_blank"><span>looking</span></a><span> for alternative funding sources. </span></p>
<p><span>El Estornudo (The Sneeze), is also generously financed by NED. In 2021 alone, the endowment </span><a href="https://archive.ph/gLtVP#selection-1615.36-1615.333" target="_blank"><span>awarded</span></a><span> the investigative journalism outlet $180,000. It also receives copious support from the Open Society Foundation, although it </span><a href="https://revistaelestornudo.com/el-estornudo-dinero-periodismo-independiente-cuba/" target="_blank"><span>insists</span></a><span> that none of this U.S. money comes with any strings attached or affects its output. </span></p>
<p><span>While Western media often portray the Cuban media landscape as a
David-and-Goliath fight between plucky independent media facing
repression, and a sprawling state-sponsored propaganda apparatus, the
gigantic sums handed out to these \u201cunderdogs\u201d make them by far and away
the best funded outlets on the island. A 2023 Guardian </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/20/independent-media-cuba-journalists-crackdown" target="_blank"><span>article</span></a><span>,
for instance, profiled 24-year-old photojournalist Pedro Sosa, who
worked for both El Toque and El Estornudo. It presented the pair as
\u201coffer[ing] real reporting over stodgy state media\u201d and journalists as
poor and vulnerable truth tellers standing up for \u201cfreedom,\u201d and facing a
\u201ccrackdown\u201d from the state. </span></p>
<p><span>But it also let slip that working for U.S.-backed media is not
as bad a career move as portrayed, and is, in fact, an extremely
lucrative profession. It casually mentions that salaries at tiny El
Toque are ten times that of even the most senior journalists working in
Cuban state media. In reality, then, these oppressed free speech
warriors are actually some of the richest individuals on the entire
island, thanks to the power of the U.S. dollar, which pays them
handsomely to produce a constant stream of anti-government news. </span></p>
<p><span>In the end, the U.S.-backed outlets need not have worried, and NED and USAID funding resumed after some restructuring.</span></p>
<h2><span>Jobs For the Boys</span></h2>
<p><span>All this, however, pales in comparison to the resources the
U.S. has dedicated to Radio and TV Martí. Founded in 1985 by the Reagan
administration, the Miami-based network boasts dozens of full-time
employees and receives tens of millions of dollars from Washington
annually. </span></p>
<p><span>Unlike the rest of the journalism industry, workers at Radio and TV Martí </span><a href="https://mronline.org/2025/03/21/when-the-servants-cry/" target="_blank"><span>enjoy</span></a><span>
strong job security and six-figure wages, despite the fact that the
Cuban government is able to jam and block many of their broadcasts from
reaching Cuba, meaning precious few people consume its content. </span></p>
<p><span>Since its creation, Washington has </span><a href="https://mronline.org/2025/03/21/when-the-servants-cry/" target="_blank"><span>spent</span></a><span> at least $800 million on Radio and TV Martí.</span></p>
<p><span>The outlets profiled make up only a small portion of the
network of anti-government media being funded by the United States. Most
of the recipients of American money remain anonymous \u2013 a decision taken
in part to hide their identities and preserve their credibility inside
Cuba. </span></p>
<p><span>The National Endowment for Democracy </span><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/us-national-endowment-for-democracy-targets-cuba-with-6-6-million-in-2025/" target="_blank"><span>considers</span></a><span> Cuba a \u201clong-standing priority,\u201d and is currently officially </span><a href="https://www.ned.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/FINAL-Active-Grant-Listing-7-15-For-Listing.pdf" target="_blank"><span>funding</span></a><span> 32 separate projects on the island. </span></p>
<p><span>Media related grants </span><a href="https://www.ned.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/FINAL-Active-Grant-Listing-7-15-For-Listing.pdf" target="_blank"><span>include</span></a><span> one $80,000 project titled \u201cStrengthening Access to Information,\u201d which promises to: </span></p>
<blockquote><p><i><span>\u201c[E]nhance access to information and promote
critical thinking, the organization will produce daily reporting and
analysis across various formats, providing independent perspectives on
issues affecting citizens\u2019 daily lives, including freedom of expression,
public safety, human rights, and other pressing social concerns.\u201d</span></i></p></blockquote>
<p><span>Another $115,000 grant, titled \u201cExpanding Access to Uncensored Media\u201d notes that it will: </span></p>
<blockquote><p><i><span>\u201c[P]romote independent information, the
organization will provide narrative journalism on censored topics,
conduct investigations, and produce in-depth articles, photo essays, and
opinion pieces while strengthening the media\u2019s operational capacity.\u201d</span></i></p></blockquote>
<p><span>Thirty-one of the thirty-two projects hide the recipient\u2019s name
and identification, meaning that those groups working with the CIA
cutout organization are generally only ever identified if they advertise
this relationship, or, like when U.S. money was temporarily halted in
2025, they call for help. </span></p>
<p><span>Anti-government media are only a small portion of the huge
array of groups Washington secretly funds and supports. From musicians
and academics, to civil society, educational, and religious groups, to
think tanks, charities and NGOs, there exists a vast nexus of
organizations receiving vast sums of money from the U.S. government. </span></p>
<p><span>Two of these bodies include The Observatorio Cubano de Derechos
Humanos (Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, or OCDH) and lawyers\u2019
group, Cubalex. </span></p>
<p><span>Both groups produce reports denouncing the Cuban government,
and are regularly cited as impartial authorities on human rights on the
island in Western outlets, such as </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/world/americas/cuba-opposition-uprising.html" target="_blank"><span>The New York Times</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2024/05/02/derechos-humanos-sentencias-prision-manifestantes-cuba-orix" target="_blank"><span>CNN</span></a><span>, and </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/17/after-unrest-arrests-cuban-government-holds-flag-waving-rally-show-strength/" target="_blank"><span>The Washington Post</span></a><span>. But what readers are not told is that both organizations are bankrolled by the U.S. national security state. </span></p>
<p><span>Records show that USAID has </span><a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/ASST_NON_7200AA22CA00033_072" target="_blank"><span>given</span></a><span>
almost $1.5 million to the OCDH. NED support, meanwhile, was crucial to
Cubalex\u2019s inception in 2010, and Washington continues to pay its staff
wages to this day. As the company\u2019s executive director, Laritza
Diversent </span><a href="https://adncuba.com/es/derechos-humanos/cubalex-busca-alternativas-para-continuar-con-la-defensa-de-los-derechos-humanos" target="_blank"><span>said</span></a><span> last year, </span></p>
<blockquote><p><i><span>\u201cWithout the support of National Endowment for
Democracy, Cubalex would not have existed; to do the work we do requires
resources. For 14 years, NED has been supporting us. Last October,
after trying a lot of times, we [also] achieved a state Department
grant.\u201d </span></i></p></blockquote>
<p><span>Thus, there is barely a corner of the anti-government Cuban
opposition that has not been reached by U.S. money, either through
government organizations such as the NED or USAID, or through
institutions such as the Ford Foundation and Open Societies Foundation,
which have historically performed a similar role in promoting American
interests abroad. </span></p>
<p><span>Many of these groups are headquartered in South Florida, where
U.S. government money is helping to subsidize thousands of jobs for the
Cuban-American community. It is therefore no exaggeration to say that a
significant part of Miami economy is propped by taxpayer money funding
counter-revolutionary forces. Ironic, considering that conservative
Cubans often vehemently object to government welfare programs in both
the U.S. and Cuba.</span></p>
<h2><span>Digital Bombardment </span></h2>
<p><span>In 2010, a new social media and messaging app, Zunzuneo, took
Cuba by storm. From nowhere, it went viral, picking up tens of thousands
of users \u2013 a very large number for the time on such an internet-sparse
island. </span></p>
<p><span>None of its users, however, were aware that the platform had
been secretly created by USAID in order to promote regime change. Their
plan was to first provide an excellent service that would capture the
market, then to slowly drip feed Cubans anti-government messaging, and
finally to direct them to join \u201csmart mobs\u201d, aimed at triggering a color
revolution. </span><span><br>
</span><span><br>
</span><span>In an effort to hide its ownership of the project, the U.S. government held a</span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/904a9a6a1bcd46cebfc14bea2ee30fdf" target="_blank"> <span>secret meeting</span></a><span>
with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, aimed at getting him to invest in the
project. It is unclear to what extent, if any, Dorsey helped, as he has
declined to speak on the matter.</span></p>
<p><span>Zunzuneo was abruptly shut down in 2012, perhaps because the
Office of Cuba Broadcasting (which oversees TV and Radio Marti) had
already </span><a href="https://theworld.org/stories/2016/07/30/us-government-funding-another-anti-castro-social-network-cuba" target="_blank"><span>created</span></a><span> a new program called Piramideo. </span></p>
<p><span>Piramideo marketed itself as an app that allowed Cubans to
receive world news for free, and without censorship. Almost immediately,
however, locals reported being deluged with fake news about
anti-government protests that never happened. Piramideo was </span><a href="https://gizmodo.com/us-secretly-built-social-network-destabilize-cuba-1851336310" target="_blank"><span>shut down</span></a><span> in 2015, after reporting on U.S. government meddling in Cuba caused a scandal and diplomatic embarrassment. </span></p>
<p><span>Today, however, with Cubans increasingly using American social
media apps, this kind of subterfuge is largely unnecessary, as it can be
done out in the open. During the 2021 San Isidro protests, apps such as
Instagram and Twitter were openly </span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-point-to-us-hand-in-cuba-protests/277987/"><span>participating</span></a><span>
in the attempt to overthrow the government, taking no action against a
massive boom of clearly fake bot accounts parroting the exact same
messages (down to the typos) and using the same astroturfed hashtag.
Twitter\u2019s editorial team even placed the protests \u2013 which drew barely a
few thousand people into the streets nationwide \u2013 at the top of its
\u201cWhat\u2019s Happening\u201d for over 24 hours, meaning that every user worldwide
would be notified. The failed putsch has come to be known as the \u201c</span><a href="https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-point-to-us-hand-in-cuba-protests/277987/"><span>Bay of Tweets</span></a><span>.\u201d</span></p>
<h2><span>Unending War on Cuba</span></h2>
<p><span>In October, for the 33rd consecutive year, the United Nations </span><a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/10/1166213" target="_blank"><span>voted</span></a><span>
overwhelmingly (165-7) to call for an end to the American blockade
against Cuba. This economic war was established by the Eisenhower
administration, in response to the Cuban Revolution of 1959, which
overthrew the U.S.-backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista.</span></p>
<p>These illegal unilateral coercive measures, which an internal U.S. government <a href="https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v06/d499" target="_blank"><span>memo</span></a><span>
states are designed to \u201cdecrease monetary and real wages, to bring
about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government,\u201d cost Cuba </span><a href="https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-true-story-of-u-s-economic-sanctions-against-cuba/" target="_blank"><span>billions</span></a><span> every year, and severely impede its development. </span></p>
<p><span>The U.S. attempted to invade Cuba in 1961, and brought the
world to the brink of annihilation during the subsequent Cuban missile
crisis. It reportedly attempted to kill its leader Fidel Castro hundreds
of times, and carried out waves of terror attacks against the country,
including </span><a href="https://www.uky.edu/~rmfarl2/cubabio2.htm" target="_blank"><span>using</span></a><span> biological weapons on the island.</span></p>
<p><span>Successive administrations continued the economic war against
Cuba, which was ramped up after the fall of the Soviet Union. But the
Trump State Department, run by Cuban-American Marco Rubio, has taken it
to a new level, declaring the island to be one of its top priorities.</span></p>
<p>Trump himself has <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cuba-will-be-ready-possible-us-attack-trump-threats/" target="_blank"><span>declared</span></a><span>
that Cuba is \u201cnext\u201d on the list of countries being targeted for regime
change. \u201cWe may stop by Cuba after we\u2019re finished\u201d with Iran he </span><a href="https://aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-says-us-may-stop-by-cuba-after-iran-war-is-done/3904416" target="_blank"><span>said</span></a><span> last month.</span></p>
<p><span>In response, Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel said his country
was ready to repel any U.S. invasion, as it did during the Bay of Pigs,
</span><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cuba-will-be-ready-possible-us-attack-trump-threats/" target="_blank"><span>stating</span></a><span>: </span></p>
<blockquote><p><i><span>\u201cThe moment is extremely challenging and calls
upon us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to confront
serious threats, including military aggression. We do not want it, but
it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to
defeat it.\u201d</span></i></p></blockquote>
<p><span>It is in this context that the U.S. government\u2019s funding of a
vast array of media outlets targeting Cuba should be seen; the media
attack is just one facet of Washington\u2019s multipronged approach to regime
change.</span></p>
<p><span>Many of the organizations profiled here publish in English, and
nearly all are used as supposedly credible sources of information on
Cuba for Western corporate media, meaning that U.S. State Department
narratives are laundered into the public consciousness through this
network. </span><span><br>
</span><span><br>
</span><span>Many Cubans and Americans are completely unaware that their
news about the island comes largely through a matrix of shady outlets
quietly funded by the U.S. national security state via the NED and
USAID. Their purpose is to keep up the flow of negative stories in order
to soften the public up into accepting regime change on the island.
After all, in war, truth is always the first casualty.</span></p>
<p><em>Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. He
completed his PhD in 2017 and has since authored two acclaimed books: <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Bad-News-from-Venezuela-Twenty-years-of-fake-news-and-misreporting/Macleod/p/book/9781138489233" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting</a> and <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Propaganda-in-the-Information-Age-Still-Manufacturing-Consent-1st-Edition/MacLeod/p/book/9781138366404" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent</a>, as well as <a href="https://journalcontent.mediatheoryjournal.org/index.php/mt/article/view/65/56" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a</a> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0306396818823639#articleShareContainer" rel="noopener" target="_blank">number</a> <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/blar.12940" rel="noopener" target="_blank">of</a> <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2018.00064/full" rel="noopener" target="_blank">academic</a> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0896920518820934" rel="noopener" target="_blank">articles</a>. He has also contributed to <a href="https://fair.org/author/alan-macleod/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">FAIR.org</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/alan-macleod" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, <a href="https://www.salon.com/writer/alan-macleod" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Salon</a>, <a href="https://thegrayzone.com/author/alan-macleod/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Grayzone</a>, <a href="https://jacobinmag.com/author/alan-macleod" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Jacobin Magazine</a>, and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/author/alan-macleod" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. Follow Alan on Twitter for more of his work and commentary: <a href="https://twitter.com/AlanRMacLeod" rel="noopener" target="_blank">@AlanRMacLeod</a>.</em></p>
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