Mass media in Cuba

The mass media in Cuba consists of television, radio, newspapers, and internet. The media are tightly controlled by the Cuban government, led by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) since 1959. The PCC strictly censors news, information and commentary, and restricts dissemination of foreign publications to tourist hotels. Journalists must operate within the confines of laws prohibiting anti-government propaganda and insulting officials, which carry penalties of up to three years in prison. Private ownership of broadcast media is prohibited, and all media outlets are state-owned.

Cuba has several dozen online regional newspapers. The only national daily paper is Granma, the official organ of the PCC. A weekly version, Granma International, is published in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Turkish and German, available online. Havana residents also have their own weekly, Havana-oriented paper, Tribuna de La Habana. The weekly Juventud Rebelde is the official organ of the Communist Youth Union. The biweekly Bohemia is the country's only general-interest newsmagazine. Cuba's official news agency is Prensa Latina, which publishes several magazines, including Cuba Internacional, directed at the foreign audience.

Granma regularly features speeches by Raúl Castro and other leaders of the Cuban government, including former President Fidel Castro's column, "Reflexiones de Fidel" (Fidel's Reflections), official announcements of the Cuban government, popular sketches highlighting the history of Cuba's revolutionary struggle from the 19th to the 21st century, developments in Latin America and world politics, steps by Cuba's workers and farmers to defend and advance the socialist revolution, and developments in industry, agriculture, science, the arts, and sports in Cuba today.

The Prensa Latina was founded shortly after the Cuban Revolution. The agency was founded at the initiative of Ernesto Che Guevara similarly to Agencia Latina founded by Juan Perón in Argentina, to spread government ideology and neutralize American propaganda. The written press began in Cuba in 1764 with La Gazeta, followed by the Papel Periódico de La Habana (Havana Periodical Paper) in 1790. Cuba currently has several newspapers, including the following:

Each of Cuba's 16 provinces has a regional weekly, which acts as the official newspaper published by each provincial Communist Party branch. The two most recently launched, El Artemiseño and Mayabeque, began publication in 2011, to serve the newly formed provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque.

Each weekly has its own website with local news, updated daily, which offers weekly print editions for free download in the PDF format. Some also publish online editions in English.

Although the press is publicly owned, magazines and bulletins owned by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations are also published and available to any Cuban citizen. In Havana, the Catholic Church publishes magazines such as Palabra Nueva and Espacio Laical monthly. In the diocese of Pinar del Río, Vitral is published bimonthly. These magazines and bulletins include religious instruction and news from the church. The bulletin with the highest circulation is Vida cristiana, published weekly in Havana; it reaches the majority of Catholics in the country. Today, the Church seeks to expand to different forms of media such as television and radio which it currently has no access.

In 2005 Cubans had at least 3.9 million radio receivers, and the country had 169 AM, and 55 FM stations. The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television serves as the government's administrative outlet for broadcasting. Of the six national AM/FM radio networks, the top three are Radio Progreso, Radio Reloj, and Radio Rebelde, in that order. Two other national radio networks that also provide news and entertainment are Radio Musical Nacional (CMBF) and Radio Enciclopedia. Another station, Radio Taíno, promotes tourism. The Cuban government also operates Radio Havana, the official Cuban international short-wave radio service. Cuba's restriction of foreign broadcast media is one reason the U.S. government has sponsored radio broadcasting into Cuba through Radio y Televisión Martí, much of which is jammed.