The journalist, filmmaker, and Cuban activist Boris González Arenas asserts that the ecosystem of independent media built over the last three decades already serves as the foundation upon which a free press in a democratic Cuba will be established. He expressed this in a comprehensive interview published by CubaNet on Saturday, as part of the project "Cuba: reconstruct and reinvent" by Cuba Siglo 21.
González Arenas, art historian, film director, and independent journalist with over 16 years of experience, discussed everything from the dismantling of the information monopoly held by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) to the ethical risks the press will face in a possible transition process.
"I believe that the foundation for this dismantling has been laid for many years because Cuban society, both inside and outside the Island, has fortunately been able to establish various ways of doing journalism," he stated. He cited publications such as El Toque, Diario de Cuba, 14yMedio, El Estornudo, Hipermedia, and CubaNet as examples. However, he emphasized that what is still missing is legalization: "What we lack is the end of the communist monopoly so that these outlets can gain legitimacy."
This monopoly has constitutional and regulatory backing. Article 55 of the Cuban Constitution of 2019 prohibits private ownership of mass media, a framework that the regime reinforced with the Decree 160/2026, published on July 28 and effective since this Monday, which prohibits non-state actors from practicing journalism or operating news agencies.
Regarding the fate of state media — Granma, Cuban television, provincial radio stations — González Arenas was direct in his conversation with journalist Camila Acosta: "I believe that the highly developed media network of the PCC will not make much sense to prevail." Nevertheless, he defended the existence of an impartial public television aimed at citizen oversight and civic education. "Cubans are not able to grasp the significant lack of education we have regarding what democracy is, how it works, and its value," he noted. He added that thousands of workers from state media could be integrated into these new spaces, but with one non-negotiable condition: "Public media cannot be partisan, they cannot be left or right; they must be impartial."
In terms of safety for journalists during the transition, González Arenas was unequivocal: "The transition is a delicate moment, and it is doubly important that international organizations are observing because we are all on the regime's blacklist; in other words, killing us is undoubtedly one of the first actions they would like to undertake." He mentioned Reporters Without Borders, Article 19, and the Inter American Press Association as existing mechanisms. According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Cuba ranks 160 out of 180 countries, and the ICLEP documented 114 aggressions against journalists just in January 2026, of which 69 were arbitrary detentions, an increase of 430.8% compared to the same month the previous year.
González Arenas himself knows this repression firsthand. The regime prevented him from leaving the country in February 2026 when he was traveling to the United States to participate in the Edward R. Murrow/IVLP program on artificial intelligence and journalism, and between 2019 and 2024, he faced a permanent travel ban from the country.
Regarding internet access, González Arenas deemed its democratization "absolutely paramount" and harshly criticized ETECSA: "ETECSA is a barracks disguised as a company [...] those who control it are mere front men for the communist regime. And it is GAESA, that conglomerate of the regime, that ultimately takes charge and dominates it." He recalled that mobile internet access via data in Cuba was only enabled on December 6, 2018, and prior to that date, Cubans relied exclusively on Granma and Juventud Rebelde for information.
Regarding the archives of independent journalism as a source for historical memory, González Arenas stated that "these archives will enrich both historians and future Truth Commissions. And, in that sense, there is a very significant danger because most of our work is online and it could be lost."
"The vice that Castroism could leave us as a legacy is understanding journalism as an activity aligned with power groups," warned González Arenas, also alerting that journalists from official media could infiltrate independent journalism to corrupt it once democracy arrives.
In a future democratic Cuba, "it is important that the State is held accountable and is, by necessity, open to scrutiny from the press," the interviewee concluded.
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