Cuban State TV Host Ridicules Public Calls to Cancel "Con Filo"

Michel E. Torres Corona, a host on Cuban state television, mocked the rising calls from Cuban citizens demanding the removal of the TV show "Con Filo" from the national broadcast. On social media, he sarcastically remarked, "Oh well, if the Cubans ask for it... let the Norwegians fund us!" This comment, posted on his Facebook profile, echoed a headline from CiberCuba highlighting the public's disapproval of the show he leads.

Instead of showing any self-reflection or understanding, Torres Corona responded with scorn to the widespread opinions on social media criticizing the program's propagandistic nature. In the same post, he chose to promote a music event in Havana, sidestepping the heated discussion regarding his recent grievances about the alleged lack of resources to produce "Con Filo."

Previously, Torres Corona had complained online about producing the show with "increasingly fewer resources," which sparked a wave of criticism. Many internet users lambasted the use of public funds for a production they view as "unnecessary," "biased," "propagandistic," "manipulative," and disconnected from the Cuban people's reality. One user commented, "They should cancel the show and use the money to buy medicine." Others suggested reallocating "Con Filo's" budget to schools, hospitals, or social services in a country where shortages impact all sectors except the state propaganda apparatus.

Official Sarcasm and Public Discontent

The public's backlash also questioned Torres Corona's victim narrative, as he insists his platform remains independent within revolutionary bounds while dismissing critical media and content creators with larger audiences. The irony of mocking critiques while benefiting from state-backed programming has not gone unnoticed. For many Cubans, such responses highlight the disconnect between official spokespersons and the public's real needs.

Sarcasm and disdain towards critical voices are not unique to Torres Corona. Hosts of "Con Filo" routinely use sarcasm to belittle activists, artists, and independent journalists in a strategy that blends mockery, manipulation, and misinformation. Recently, Gabriela Fernández, another host, returned from a tour in Spain where she faced protests from exiled Cubans, quipping, "I must admit, with much regret, that my mission to install communism in Europe... failed," thus trivializing the opposition she encountered abroad.

Propaganda Focus on CiberCuba

During her time in Europe, Fernández accessed venues protected by democratic laws to spread the regime's discourse while denying entry to Cuban critics and publicly provoking them. This contrasts with the repression, surveillance, and imprisonment independent journalists face in Cuba for exercising free speech.

In 2022, Torres Corona showed disdain for the Cuban people's struggles by mocking Europe's energy-saving measures compared to Cuba's massive blackouts, stating cynically, "We are very familiar with mandatory electricity consumption cuts," a comment that incited outrage among those enduring up to 20-hour power outages.

He has also used the show to attack figures like Yordenis Ugás and La Diosa, mocking the boxer after a sports defeat and suggesting his regime criticisms were part of a broader failure. He ridiculed the singer for her song 'Cuba Primero,' labeling it among the "worst counter-revolutionary songs" and sarcastically using phrases like "dear friend" and "strong hug."

Torres Corona has celebrated activist Magdiel Jorge Castro's expulsion from Bolivia and discredited critical platforms like El TOQUE with comments that, according to academics and human rights defenders, amount to "institutional bullying" from public media.

The program "Con Filo," produced by the state-run portal Cubadebate and aired during prime time on national television, has shown an ongoing fixation with CiberCuba, one of the most influential independent media outlets on social media. In numerous episodes, it has dedicated entire segments to discrediting articles, headlines, and reports from this platform, often resorting to content manipulation, offensive sarcasm, and news decontextualization.

In his monologues, Torres Corona repeatedly accuses CiberCuba of being part of a "media machinery funded by foreign governments" to destabilize the country, without providing verifiable evidence. This official narrative has turned the media outlet into a frequent target of the show, which even displays its logo and edited fragments of its publications to fuel its discourse.