The Cuban government largely controls all communications that come in and go out of the country. This government censorship applies to national news, including television and radio. The regime of Fidel Castro has long held a tight-reign on the citizens of Cuba in an effort to isolate them from outside information and suppress government resistance.
In 1990, Television Martí, located in Miami, Florida, began broadcasting in Cuba with the assistance of United States government, running under the program of Voice of America,
History.com noted. The goal of the project was to provide Cuban citizens a realistic look into the life of Americans, as well as events throughout the world.
TV Martí attempts to circumvent the control of the Cuban government and broadcast to the Cuban people, but it is limited in its reach. The media conglomerate operates satellite television, short wave, and AM radio stations geared at bringing unbiased information directly to Cuban citizens. The stations seek to promote freedom and democracy in a country that is held by regime that limits personal freedoms.
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In recent years, the news programming has aimed at educating Cubans about government. Interviews with social leaders have been broadcast as well as a program about how to transition from Fidel Castro's totalitarian government into a modern democracy.
The road to uncensored news has been a bumpy one for Martí and Cubans,
according to the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Today, TV Marti is operated as part of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, a part of an independent U.S. government agency. The station has faced sabotage efforts by the Cuba government, from jamming signals to the island to fires that force evacuation of the station.
Despite censorship efforts, as technology evolves, the availability of television programming increases in Cuba. Martí now operates online and using apps to send SMS messages to subscribers. These have proven to be fruitful venues to get unfiltered information into Cuba. For those who do not have access to online technology, human rights organizations have gone so far as to distribute the news via USB drives and DVDs. Additionally, news is also broadcast through a Martí's owned radio station, which runs 24 hours a day.
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