Currents of Revolution: The Cuban Revolution’s Impact on the US News Media Industry, US Spanish-Language Media, and Latina/o Consumption

Abstract

This article explores how the US news media was impacted by events in mid-twentieth century Cuba, namely, the 1959 Revolution and the demise of Havana as a Latin American media capital. This study argues that the Cuban Revolution and its exiles influenced the US news media industry in three significant ways: 1) propelled the expansion of US Spanish-language media, particularly the news, by incorporating Cuban media professionals and serving immigrant audiences from Cuba and later other Latin American nations; 2) removed and limited programs that angered the Cuban community by accommodating Cuban exile activists; and 3) dramatically increased coverage of Cuba and its refugees with an often anti-revolution position. By weaving together primary source materials and scholarly literature, this study reverses the conceptual direction of influence from the US shaping the Caribbean to the Caribbean's impact on the US for a fuller picture of their transnational exchanges.