Con Filo presenter complains about alleged lack of resources for the program: "Less and less"

The official spokesperson Michel E. Torres Corona, host of the program Con Filo, complained about an alleged lack of resources that impacts the execution of his project and criticized Cubans who express their dissatisfaction on opposition social media.

Con Filo is a state-funded space, broadcasted on national television and with privileged access to technical resources. However, Torres presents himself as a victim of precariousness: "it is increasingly done with fewer resources," he wrote on his Facebook profile.

What made the host of Con Filo uncomfortable?

Michel Torres' recent post is an invitation for people to listen to his program, but it does not hold back, instead adopting an inquisitorial tone against independent journalism and critical thought that diverges from the state narrative.

From the very beginning of his text, he lashes out at the rise of discussion spaces about Cuba on social media. He takes a stance against content creators who, with fewer resources than he has, manage to reach larger audiences and effectively sway public opinion.

"Recently, podcasts and talk shows on digital networks about various aspects of Cuba have become abundant," he wrote, referring to alternative projects both inside and outside the island. According to the spokesperson, these platforms spread "rather distorted versions" of the country's history, media, and economy.

Torres not only discredits these voices but also directly accuses them of operating under foreign interests: “Some of these ‘digital programs’ are financed through promotion, monetizing the number of followers; others… well, they receive money from embassies, from ‘non-governmental organizations,’ in short…”.

This statement, frequently found in the discourse of the Cuban government, aims to equate any public criticism with a supposed conspiracy from the United States or Europe, denying the legitimacy of citizen discontent or independent analyses based on official data.

Within the Revolution, everything; but against the Revolution...

In his post, he also establishes an exclusive ideological division. He admits that "critical and questioning spaces, of debate among revolutionaries, for and on behalf of socialism, are sparse," but firmly rejects any critical participation in independent media.

“I am dissatisfied and unhappy with many things, but I will not express them in a place where my words serve to benefit the enemies of the Revolution, where my arguments only contribute to their business, to their agenda. It would give me hives,” he stated.

The spokesperson presents themselves as a critic of the system, but only within the acceptable margins for the regime, assuming a moral superiority that invalidates other forms of criticism.

“We must be the critics, the subversives, the questioners, those who engage in polemics,” he points out. However, such controversy is only valid as long as it occurs under state control, as stated by Cuban cultural policy: "Within the Revolution, everything; against the Revolution, nothing".

Michel E. Torres Corona occasionally plays the victim

The narrative of precarity, that notion of "having fewer resources every time" to create a program with a wide reach, is a recurring strategy of this communicator. The most recent instance was during a live session of La Correspondencia, the digital space of the program.

"Enjoy it because it might be the last", said Michel Torres with a laugh. In this context, he was referring to ETECSA's restrictions that limit mobile top-ups in Cuban pesos. "We're going to have to analyze, with the recent news, how we're going to manage," he added sarcastically, without referencing the substantial state support they receive.

The scene was met with rejection among many users on social media. "This is exactly why the data was reduced, to avoid seeing the rubbish that is Con Filo," commented an outraged internet user.

Michel Torres insists on portraying himself as a helpless communicator, ingeniously fighting against scarcity in Cuba, but his words and his platform reveal the opposite. He enjoys a privileged position, funded by public resources, shielded by the official narrative, and supported by a system that silences those who think differently.

His insistence on discrediting independent content creators demonstrates how, in Cuba, resources for propaganda are not scarce, but rather, authentic spaces for freedom of expression are lacking.

Frequently Asked Questions about the "Con Filo" Program and its Context in Cuba