Media Outlets Face Uncertainty as USAID Funding Suspends Cuba Coverage

Media outlets reporting on Cuba are seeking new funding sources as USAID's support is suspended under the Trump administration. Miami's CubaNet and Madrid's Diario de Cuba urge readers for donations. The funding halt conflicts with long-standing U.S. policy supporting independent Cuban media and human rights advocacy.

Several U.S.-funded media outlets covering Cuba are searching for alternative finance routes as the Trump administration plans to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This leaves these outlets' futures uncertain. The U.S. State Department's worldwide stop-work orders, currently under court review, have frozen much foreign aid, impacting the funding for Cuban-focused media.

Miami-based CubaNet, which received $500,000 from USAID in 2024 for objective journalism, seeks reader donations amidst this unexpected funding challenge. Similarly, Madrid-based Diario de Cuba, through Director Pablo Díaz Espí, requests support, stating that the U.S. Government aid suspension has made their work more difficult.

This funding cut contrasts with the U.S.'s historical approach to Cuba, which traditionally includes support for opposition and independent media. Despite this, the Cuban government criticizes U.S.-funded media as proxies for American policy. Newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has promised stringent policies on Cuba but hasn't commented on the recent funding halt.

(With inputs from agencies.)