Framing Cuba: U.S. Media and Cuba’s Black Lives Matter Protests

Abstract

This study explores United States of America media frames identified during the July 2021 Afro Cuban protests. Afro Cuban protest, the corresponding Black Lives Matter statement and associated media coverage converge at an intersection of the U.S. press media framing of Cuban politics and BLM movements. The researcher uses a content analysis of articles published by The New York Times and The Washington Post to determine whether frames within the coverage align with those identified in existing literature pertaining to Cuba and the BLM movement. The New York Times and The Washington Post were selected due to their focus on foreign news and their presence in existing research on Cuba and BLM framing. The Cuba content analysis coding scheme examines U.S./Cuba relations, Cuba-domestic/social and political, and Cuba- domestic/economics media frames. The BLM coding scheme explores quotations and mentions of Afro Cuban issues. The content analysis reveals that media framing aligns with Cuba relations instead of BLM. This research contributes to the intersection of Cuba and BLM to explore opportunities to highlight Black experiences in Cuba.

Plain Language Summary

Framing Cuba: U.S. Media Coverage of Cuba’s Black Lives Matter Protests

This study explores how the United States media discusses the 2021 Afro Cuban protests. The research builds on previous studies that analyze coverage in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Using a content analysis, the researcher identified words and phrases that align with ways the media traditionally frames Cuban issues and Black Lives Matter protests. The analyzed Cuba frames included U.S./Cuba relations, Cuba-domestic/social and political, and Cuba- domestic/economics. The corresponding BLM analysis identified quotations and mentions of Afro Cuban issues. Results reveal that media coverage aligned with Cuba coverage instead of BLM mirroring the U.S. political agenda. Policy makers and social justice activists can leverage the research to consider ways to incorporate Afro Cubans and other African diaspora populations in their efforts. Journalists can think critically about how they position issues pertaining to people who exist at the intersection of racial and ethnic categories.