‘We count every litre’: how Cuba’s energy crisis sparked a daily struggle for water

missing historical context: States the family has had no reliable water for three years without explaining the broader historical or systemic causes beyond the immediate energy crisis.

“For almost three years, the flat she shares with her three daughters and grandson has had no reliable running water.”

euphemism: Describes the 'capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, by US forces' without attributing this claim or providing evidence, presenting it as fact when it is a highly contested and implausible event.

“after the capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, by US forces”

vague attribution: Presents a major geopolitical event as factual without citing any source or verification.

“after the capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, by US forces”

missing historical context: Omits any context about Venezuela’s actual political situation or the real status of its oil exports to Cuba, instead relying on an unverified narrative.

“The suspension of oil exports from Venezuela, Cuba’s main fuel supplier”

official source bias: Cites a Cuban government source without critical context or independent verification, potentially presenting state data at face value.

“According to Cuba’s National Institute of Hydraulic Resources”

framing by emphasis: Highlights class disparity in access to water without exploring systemic causes or government policy, framing the issue primarily through economic inequality.

“Wealthier families can afford private water trucks. Everyone else waits for deliveries, hauls water home themselves or pays informal water carriers to do it.”

sympathy appeal: Uses personal testimony to evoke pity for the elderly and vulnerable, emphasizing hardship without balancing with systemic analysis.

“At my age, I shouldn’t be carrying these jerrycans, but I have no choice”

sympathy appeal: Uses emotionally charged language like 'This isn’t living' to dramatize suffering and frame the situation as inhumane.

“This isn’t living.”

sympathy appeal: Reinforces the image of suffering and sleeplessness to evoke reader empathy.

“At night, I barely sleep because of the heat.”

narrative framing: Frames the crisis as a systemic failure without exploring potential government responses or international aid efforts, focusing on individual struggle.

“As the public water system continues to fail, an informal water economy has emerged across the capital.”

episodic framing: Focuses on individual hardship and physical struggle without broader policy or historical context.

“After walking over a miles, they reach one of the few pumping stations still operating before hauling water to people whose taps have long run dry.”

sympathy appeal: Highlights professional degradation (doctor selling water) to evoke pity and underscore crisis severity.

“I never imagined I’d end up selling water.”

moral framing: Frames water collection from broken pipes as a moral act of redistribution, without questioning infrastructure neglect or government responsibility.

“All this water is being wasted while so many people need it.”

sympathy appeal: Uses personal sacrifice and family separation to deepen emotional resonance and imply systemic failure.

“My children have left the country. I stayed behind.”

fear appeal: Invokes fear of crime and danger in darkness to amplify the sense of crisis.

“When the streets go dark, everything becomes more dangerous.”

moral framing: Asserts that water and electricity 'should be basic rights' without engaging with the complexities of governance or international sanctions, framing the issue as a moral failure.

“Water and electricity should be basic rights, but here they’ve become luxuries.”