In its latest edition, the television program Mesa Redonda featured as one of its guests a legal expert specializing in Cuba's relations with the United States, who went so far as to assert that "there is more freedom of expression in Cuba than in the United States."
Thus expressed the Doctor of Legal Sciences, University Professor, and researcher of the relations between the U.S. and Cuba, Jacinto Valdés Depena Vivanco, who astonished Cuban civil society with his statements, especially when contrasting them with data and evaluations from international organizations regarding press freedom in both countries.
"Freedom of expression... Well, we know that they themselves... I don't remember who said, 'No, if there is more freedom of expression in Cuba than in the United States itself!'. I once compared our studies and, for example, in the United States, the average citizen has much less information than the average Cuban citizen," said Depena Vivanco.
“Without a doubt, I lived there!” exclaimed the other guest on the program, Johana Tablada de la Torre, the Deputy Director General of the United States Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (MINREX), who was assigned to Washington.
The Doctor of Legal Sciences resumed his research efforts: “In fact, the information that the United States provides to the outside world is more abundant than what the average citizen receives.” “I saw that daily, and it remains the case,” affirmed the senior official of MINREX.
The exchange of "toxic mushrooms" took place in a hallucinogenic program that analyzed the impact of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its funding for media in Cuba. In this context, Valdés Depena referred to the role of the U.S. in promoting independent media on the island, suggesting that Washington seeks to destabilize the Cuban political order by financing press outlets critical of the government.
However, the expert's statement about freedom of expression in Cuba compared to the U.S. has been extremely striking in light of various reports on the state of press freedom in both countries.
International organizations that monitor freedom of expression and press have provided data that allows for an analysis of Valdés Depena's statement.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, ranks the United States at position 42 with a "fairly good" situation, while Cuba ranks 173rd out of 180 countries, classified as a country with a "very serious" situation regarding press freedom.
Freedom House, in its annual report on political and civil liberties, classifies the U.S. as a "free" country, while Cuba is labeled as "not free" due to restrictions on independent journalism and government censorship.
The media structure in both countries also shows substantial differences. The United States has a diverse media ecosystem, with numerous national and international newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, in addition to major television networks like CNN, Fox News, NBC, ABC, and CBS, as well as independent digital media.
In contrast, in Cuba, all national media is state-owned and adheres to its editorial guidelines. Newspapers like Granma and Juventud Rebelde, as well as television and radio, are run by the government. The practice of independent journalism is criminalized, and journalists have been and are persecuted or imprisoned for publishing critical information.
The comparison between Cuba and the United States must also address the overall state of human rights and the current political regimes.
The United States is a representative democracy, with a system based on the separation of powers, free elections, and political pluralism. Citizens have the right to choose their representatives in presidential, legislative, and local elections. There are multiple political parties, with diverse platforms and guarantees for dissent, as well as constitutional protections for civil liberties.
On the contrary, Cuba is a totalitarian regime with a single party, where the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) is the only organization allowed to govern. There are no competitive democratic elections, and political opponents are persecuted, imprisoned, or forced into exile. Public demonstrations against the government are suppressed, and dissenting political expression is punished.
When it comes to human rights, there are also marked differences. In the United States, although there are social issues such as racism, unequal access to justice, and instances of police brutality, there are legal mechanisms to report and address these abuses, as well as a free press that reports on these matters without censorship.
In Cuba, individual freedoms are severely restricted. Arbitrary detentions, repression of activists, and limitations on internet access are documented. International organizations have reported the repressive practices of the Cuban state against opponents and independent journalists.
Valdés Depena's words in the Mesa Redonda stand in stark contrast to the reality documented by international organizations and human rights experts.
While the United States faces challenges related to media concentration and political polarization, it continues to provide legal protections for the practice of journalism and free expression.
In Cuba, state control of information, censorship, and repression of journalists and opponents severely restrict fundamental freedoms.
Furthermore, the comparison of both political systems highlights the contrast between a functional democracy with elections and protected rights in the United States and a totalitarian regime that restricts political participation and dissent in Cuba.
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