Prensa Latina was founded in Havana in June 1959. Today, it operates a network of 32 bureaus in as many countries. The agency was established by journalist Jorge Ricardo Masetti, who had previously interviewed the revolutionaries Fidel Castro and Ernesto Guevara.
Prensa Latina received support from the Ministry of Communications of the emerging Cuban government. Additionally, the agency publishes the weeklies Orbe and Negocios en Cuba, the English-language newspaper The Havana Reporter, as well as the magazines Avances Médicos de Cuba and Cuba Internacional. Throughout its history, Prensa Latina has featured contributions from notable figures such as Gabriel García Márquez and Rodolfo Walsh.
Media assets
News agency: Prensa Latina
Publishing: Orbe, Negocios en Cuba, The Havana Reporter, Avances Medicos de Cuba, Cuba Internacional
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Prensa Latina is a not-for-profit organization owned by the Cuban State, which appoints the agency’s management. Currently, it is unclear which entity in the Cuban government is responsible for appointing the agency’s management.
Source of funding and budget
There is no publicly available information about Prensa Latina’s budget. Although the agency states that revenues from the sale of its content are reinvested in its activities, it is understood that this is not the primary source of the agency’s funding. Local journalists interviewed for this report in May 2024 said that most of Prensa Latina’s budget comes from the government.
Editorial independence
Prensa Latina has previously featured contributions from well-known journalists and writers, the majority of whom hold leftist views. In contrast to ACN, Prensa Latina primarily focuses on providing editorial coverage from a regional (Latin American) perspective.
Its news agenda closely resembles TeleSur, a Venezuelan state-funded media outlet. The agency rarely allows criticism of the Cuban government. An informal content analysis conducted by our local expert for this project in March 2024 revealed that most of Prensa Latina’s stories revolve around the administration’s activities and accomplishments, with high officials consistently portrayed in a positive manner.
There is no independent assessment mechanism or statute that establishes Prensa Latina’s editorial independence.
August 2024