Social protests in Cuba (11J) and disinformation: case study of the fact checking initiative DeFacto

Abstract

Known as 11J, Cuba´s most important social protests after 1959 took place on July, 2021. Following a partisan agenda, the island´s official media did not document the facts. Alternative media, with no legal recognition in the island, faced limitations regarding in situ reporting and also access to official sources. Social media became a source of information while the spread of false content and the digital blackout oriented by the government triggered disputes about the understanding of disinformation and created the need of fact checking journalism. This case study analyzes the role played by alternative media El Toque´s fact checking initiative using semi-structured interviews and content analysis. We conclude that DeFacto´s journalistic mediation in a context of political polarization allows us to measure alternative media´s role as contentious actors and to review the disinformation concept from a critical perspective.