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Original article: La “prensa independiente” que financia Washington: revelan red de medios anticubanos pagada con plata pública de EE.UU.

The «Independent Press» Funded by Washington: Unveiling a U.S.-Backed Network of Anti-Cuban Media

The United States government has been secretly financing a vast network of anti-Cuban media outlets, which claim to be «independent,» as part of a strategy aimed at promoting a regime change on the island.

This revelation comes from an investigation conducted by MintPress News, which documented that at least five journalistic platforms —CubaNet, ADN Cuba, Diario de Cuba, El Toque, and El Estornudo—, presented to the public as autonomous journalistic projects, have received millions in funding from Washington.

The framework is sustained through grants channelled via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), entities that have historically served as civilian fronts for external influence operations.

According to the reviewed records, CubaNet currently receives an active allocation of $500,000 from USAID to “engage young Cubans” through multimedia journalism.

In his research, journalist Alan Macleod noted that this portal, founded by anti-government activists in 1994, has become a go-to information source for major corporations (The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and The Los Angeles Times), which regularly cite it and present it as an objective and impartial independent outlet.

«CubaNet reporters have written opinion pieces in major U.S. newspapers like USA Today, calling for an immediate change of government on the island,» he pointed out.

ADN Cuba, on the other hand, has accumulated over $3 million since 2020 and according to Macleod, although it describes itself as «an independent media outlet committed to freedom and democracy in Cuba,» it is actually based in Spain and «does not seem particularly committed to transparency about its funding«.

The millions received from Washington are not disclosed to readers, «not even in articles directly covering USAID funding to Cuban media,» and this information remains «buried in footnotes of obscure databases of U.S. government funding.

In the case of Diario de Cuba, which is based in Spain and publishes a wide variety of articles, all of which share one thing in common: a deep aversion to the Cuban government, it allegedly obtained $1.3 million from the U.S. between 2016 and 2020, allowing it to reach a global audience, with over 600,000 followers on Facebook alone.

Homogeneous Editorial Line to Establish Crisis Narratives and Ungovernability in Cuba

Beyond the numbers, the investigation pointed to a recurring pattern: these media do not merely report, but execute a homogeneous editorial line aimed at establishing narratives of crisis, ungovernability, and the need for political transition.

In this way, they function as components of a communicational architecture that seeks to «soften» the internal Cuban scenario to facilitate a potential external intervention, in a context where the administration of U.S. President Trump has labeled the island as a priority target in a maximum pressure campaign, which includes tightening illegal sanctions and blockades, as well as threats of military aggression.

The financial dependency was laid bare when, in early 2025, a temporary freeze of USAID and NED funds by decision of the Government Efficiency Department led to the immediate collapse of several of these projects. CubaNet then published an emergency editorial requesting donations, admitting that without U.S. funding it would be “extremely difficult to continue.” Diario de Cuba and El Toque also issued desperate calls, with the latter having to lay off half its staff. This episode showed that the label “independent” crumbles as soon as the funding tap from Washington is turned off.

MintPress’s report also connects this media operation with historical precedents of digital warfare against Cuba, such as the Zunzuneo and Piramideo platforms—covert USAID projects to mobilize young people through artificial social networks. Currently, the strategy has been refined: the funded media are cited as «neutral» sources by major international networks, thereby introducing narratives from the State Department into global coverage about the island.

The central conclusion of MintPress News’ investigation is striking: the war against Cuba is not only economic or diplomatic but also informational, psychological, and cultural. Behind the facade of supposed independent journalism lies a communicational arm of the U.S. national security apparatus, designed to attempt to wear down the Revolution from within while whitewashing foreign interference.

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