By Bertha Mojena Milian on June 19, 2026 from Havana
Rosa Miriam Elizalde, foto: Ismael Francisco
The Board of Directors of the Institute of Information and Social Communication (ICS), upon the recommendation of the National Evaluation Commission—composed of representatives from the Union of Cuban Journalists (UPEC), the Association of Social Communicators (ACCS), the Faculty of Communication at the University of Havana (FCOM), and the Institute itself—agreed this Thursday to award the 2026 National Prize for Social Communication to journalist Rosa María Elizalde Zorrilla.
The National Evaluation Commission, after reviewing the nominations from all the country’s provinces and the Special Municipality of Isla de la Juventud, determined that the career of Cuban journalist, researcher, and professor Rosa Miriam Elizalde makes her deserving of this high distinction due to the breadth, continuity, and public impact of her work in journalism, communication research, and the management of strategic political communication projects in the digital sphere.
Her professional profile combines journalistic practice, academic production, institutional leadership, and the ability to coordinate communication agendas with national and international reach.
Elizalde has held high-level positions in social media and key projects within the Cuban media ecosystem, having founded digital publications and websites such as Cubadebate—where she served as editor-in-chief until 2017—La Jiribilla, Cubasí, and Antiterroristas, among others. She is also a columnist for the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, an advisor to the multiplatform network TeleSur since 2007, and a contributor to other international media outlets. This work places her among the most prominent figures in the transition of Cuban journalism toward environments of media convergence and online participation.
Her contribution is particularly notable in the field of political communication in cyberspace. In her public statements, she has characterized the digital landscape as a battleground against disinformation campaigns, media warfare, and symbolic manipulation directed against Cuba. From this perspective, her work is not limited to reporting; rather, she participates in the development of interpretive frameworks, discursive strategies, and communicational response tools in defense of public debate and informational sovereignty.
On the academic front, her contributions are also substantial and verifiable. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences, and her doctoral dissertation—which focused on social communication policy in the context of media convergence—was selected as the “Best Thesis in the Social Sciences” by the National Commission on Academic Degrees of the Ministry of Higher Education. This work reinforces the value of her career because it connects research, professional practice, and critical reflection on the Cuban communication system.
Her bibliography includes eleven books, in which she has served as author, co-author, coordinator, editor, and prologue writer on a wide range of topics related to contemporary political affairs and journalism, among other issues of social impact in Cuba.
She has been awarded the UPEC “Juan Gualberto Gómez” Journalism Prize eight times; the replica of Máximo Gómez’s machete, bestowed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) upon distinguished figures; and the Council of State’s “Abel Santamaría” Medal, among other significant honors, all of which attest to the results and impact of her professional work.
In addition to this extensive body of professional contributions, she has served as a leader in the Latin American Federation of Journalists (FELAP), where she held the position of First Vice President—a role she shared with that of national vice president of UPEC.
As an advisor to the National Cybersecurity Council and MINREX, she has coordinated the “Mueve América Latina” Movement since 2018, which is composed of experts in digital political communication.
A key component of her recent leadership is her role in the Patria International Colloquium. As coordinator of its organizing committee, she has fostered a space for debate on digital communication, information warfare, artificial intelligence, and technological sovereignty, with the participation of national and international guests. The final declaration of the 5th Patria Colloquium, which she read, reaffirms the political and strategic nature of the event and its function as a platform for coordinating communication in the face of the challenges of the contemporary digital environment.
It is difficult to summarize her career and impact in just a few words, as she is also deeply loved, respected, and admired by her colleagues and students. She is always brimming with optimism and absolute faith in young people, surrounded by them in the diverse projects she has undertaken—projects in which she consistently entrusts them with the most varied and important missions.
In short, Rosa Miriam Elizalde possesses exceptional merits that make her a worthy recipient of the National Prize for Social Communication for her career as a journalist, researcher, and leader of political communication projects in cyberspace, as well as for her central role in the Patria International Colloquium, where she has helped shape and organize the Cuban and international left’s communication response to contemporary digital challenges. (Taken from ICS).
Source: Cubaperiodista translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English