2023-11-12 20:57:02
With warnings about the weakening of democracy in America and the growing “erosion of freedoms of expression and the press,” the general assembly of the Inter-American Press Association concluded this Sunday in Mexico City.
The IAPA concluded that several governments in the hemisphere are failing to promote “the republican values of a free press.”
At the closing of the meeting, the entity formally launched the call for its 80th annual meeting, which will be held from October 17 to 20, 2024 in Córdoba, as part of the commemorative events of the 120th anniversary of The voice of the interior.
He also established new authorities. Roberto Rock, La Silla Rota, Mexico, will be president; José Roberto Dutriz, Prensa Libre, El Salvador, first vice president; Pierre Manigault, Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, second vice president, while Gabriela Vivanco, La Hora, Ecuador, will continue to lead the Executive Committee, and Carlos Jornet, director of The voicewill continue to chair the strategic Press Freedom Commission.
At the close of four days of deliberations, the country reports on the practice of journalism on the continent were approved.
The critical situation experienced by the press in the Americas had been described on Friday by Jornet, who alluded to a true tragedy due to the democratic decline and the advance of authoritarianism in the region.
“In a convulsed world, rulers of our continent continue to wage their own wars, against their own people,” Jornet warned.
The most adverse conditions are present in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba, countries that once again close the ranking of the Chapultepec Index of Freedom of Expression and Press, whose fourth edition was presented at this meeting.
Restrictions in Argentina
Argentina appears there in the “restriction zone”, in 11th place, with only 51.34 points, very far from the Dominican Republic, which leads the ranking with 81.08. However, it slightly exceeds the general average, of 47.84 points, due to the strong deterioration of Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia and Guatemala, which are close to the block of countries that close the table, already classified as dictatorships.
The report on Argentina indicates that in the last semester there were numerous attacks and threats against the press and that the sustainability of local media is threatened by the drop in revenues due to the economic crisis.
It warns that drug trafficking intimidation continues in Rosario and that there were also attacks on journalists covering electoral activities and police events.
On the closing day, the outgoing president of the IAPA, Michael Greespon, The New York Times, presented the Chapultepec Grand Prize to Kerry Kennedy, from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, for his contribution to the advancement of the judicial system in the world. Hours earlier, journalist Carmen Aristegui had received the Grand Prize for Freedom of Expression for her brave investigations.
The rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Pedro Vaca, spoke with the incoming president of the IAPA, Roberto Rock. Asked about the opacity of the algorithms that social networks apply to distribute content, the official said that both social networks and the media must privilege democratic values more than ever, in times of hate speech enhanced by recommendation strategies of the large platforms.
Córdoba prepares for the 2024 assembly
With a three-minute video and words from the journalistic director, Carlos Jornet, The voice confirmed that it will host the next continental summit of the written press.
“We are waiting for you in Córdoba, the geographical heart of Argentina. Proud heart of its history, its present, its future, its identity. We wait for you from the bottom of our hearts, with hospitality and affection,” said Jornet.
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