The noticiero hit job on Cuban non-state media last night confirms that we are, indeed, in another sad “battle of ideas”-like moment.

I’m on the record w my concerns about/opposition to the cottage industry of US democracy promotion funding and the pitfalls for those who touch it in the Cuban case, above all bc it is linked to an explicit US policy of regime change.

But if there is a non-state media sector in Cuba today, it isnt just a result of some plan hatched in Washington/Miami. It’s the result of young journalists who studied at UH, worked for state media, and grew frustrated they couldnt do journalism they wanted there.

The fact is, I have read reportajes descomunales, serios, importantísimos in places like @periodibarrio, @eltoquecom, @rev_elestornudo, and @OnCuba. I bet govt officials have too.

(Yes, I mention @OnCuba even though it was left off last night’s target list.)

Im talking about reportajes that cover real stories and issues concerning Cuba’s present and future that state media simply arent.

As best as I understand, not all of those mentioned last night accept US govt money (which is uniquely problematic, but not the only target of criticism), or in the same way.

And even if they do, and doing so is “funcional a los intereses de EEUU,” they also have agency.

I’m not so blind as to think *no* real journalism happens in the state press. @pedromonreal does a good job of highlighting solid reporting on economic issues when it appears, esp. in provincial papers. But on this and other issues, there is not enough.

Do I get concerned there arent more non-state media outlets trying to assume an overtly non-partisan bent in their reporting? Yes. (Some say they are, only to advance one point of view on US policy toward Cuba, for example.)

Has the line between new/“independent” and “opposition” media become fuzzy in some ways? That too.

Sometimes it seems editorial pages are growing faster that the deeply reported journalism, and there isnt enough of a separation between the two.

But these problems and reliance on foreign grants are as much result of failure to grant a truly independent media the right to exist and self-fund, and the grievances of those who have tried to do straight-up journalism well and found themselves blocked or worse.

In other words, hostility to those trying to do serious reporting outside state media channels *pushes* them into an oppositional relationship w the cuban state as much as some assume that identity on the front end.

And it’s not like Cuban state media has a strong wall between editorial and news sections either. Nor are their editorial pages models of a diversity of views.

Metiendo serious outlets I mentioned above, and serious journalists, en el mismo saco w sites like CiberCuba or (blegh) Otaola is an insult to the intelligence. Especially because Otaola has gone after some of them and vice versa.

As for questioning the “independence” of non state media if they receive foreign funds (not only from US or govt sources mind you), that’s a fair point *if* state media would also question whether their own funding from Cuban govt compromises their editorial independence too.

But the meaning of “true independence” is not really on the table here, as Cuban laws governing media dont accept the premise that the press should be a “fourth estate.”

Last, for a piece that was ostensibly about questioning the journalistic integrity of the named, in what part of the journalism ethics textbook does it say it’s ok to broadcast video of journalists being questioned by state authorities about their work? Esp w/o consent?

Or where does it say that good journalism is airing a critical report about someone w/o making an effort to interview target of the criticism or offer them an opportunity to respond?

Triste todo. These are dark days.