Fragmented professionalism: Journalism culture in Cuban state media
Abstract
The increase in internet access in Cuba has contributed to spread journalism from non-state media online. The non-state media are less controlled by the communist party and have introduced global ideals associated with professional journalism, such as autonomy and social responsibility. This also affects the wishes of journalists working for the state media, but such ideals are not reflected in the journalistic output. Unclear rules considering what is accepted by the Communist Party, lead to extensive self-censorship and frustration among journalists. Those with a prominent journalistic position can easier expand their own autonomy within the structures, but this does not spread to journalists further down the ladder. Political demands of journalists portraying Cuba as strong and flawless, thus not showing signs of weakness towards the US, is a major contributor to self-censorship. In this context, self-censorship must be understood as a journalistic strategy to balance demands from the Communist Party, coupled with a real support for revolutionary values. The non-state media creates a space for professional ideals that may bypass demands from the political leadership. Many young journalists and journalism students therefore want to work in non-state media. Consequently, there is a growing generational gap, which is also driven forward by the relative freedom of academics within journalism in Cuba.List of papers
Article 1: Natvig, A. (2019b). A place under siege: Self-censorship strategies among Cuban state media journalists. [Plaza Sitiada: estrategias de auto-censura entre periodistas en los medios del Estado cubano] Brazilian Journalism Research,15(2), 358-380. doi: 10.25200/BJR.v15n2.2019.1172. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.25200/BJR.v15n2.2019.1172 |
Article 2: Natvig, A. (2021). Perceptions of and strategies for autonomy among journalists working for Cuban state media. In T. Henken and S. García Santamaría (eds.) Cuba’s Digital Revolution: Citizen Innovation and State Policy. Miami: University of Florida Press. Natvig, A. (2022). Periodistas y medios estatales Cubanos: Percepciones y estrategias de autonomía. In T. Henken and S. García Santamaría (Eds) La Revolución Digital Cubana: Innovación Ciudadana Y Política Estatal. Madrid: Editorial Hypermedia Incorporated. The article is included in the thesis. |
Article 3: Natvig, A. (2019a). Diverging ideals of autonomy: Non-state media in Cuba challenging a broken media monopoly. Journal of Alternative and Community Media, 4(2), 14-30. doi: 10.1386/joacm_00046_1. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/joacm_00046_1 |
Article 4: Natvig, A. (2018). Cuban journalism students: between ideals and state ideology. Journalism Education, 7(1), 19-28. The article is included in the thesis. |