WHEREAS press freedom is experiencing institutional deterioration as a result of federal government measures that restrict journalists’ access to official venues, obstruct coverage of matters of public interest, and discourage critical investigations, in tension with the protections afforded by the First Amendment
WHEREAS officials at the Department of Justice have resorted to subpoenas in attempts to identify confidential sources of journalists at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, placing at risk an essential safeguard for investigative journalism and the public’s right to receive information of public interest
WHEREAS the Executive Branch has restricted journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from accessing official briefings and events, while the Department of Defense has imposed new limitations on access to the Pentagon, including mandatory escorts and restrictions on press areas, and is advancing measures that could expand the categories of information exempt from public scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
WHEREAS the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has pursued regulatory actions and raised questions about broadcast media licenses amid public attacks by President Donald Trump against media outlets and journalists, prompting concerns about the potential use of regulatory powers to exert pressure on content and editorial positions
WHEREAS restrictions on visas for foreign journalists may discourage international coverage of the United States and become a tool that could be used against journalists whose reporting is critical of the government
WHEREAS, these measures collectively constitute a troubling pattern of pressure, exclusion, and potential retaliation against the press, threatening to normalize practices incompatible with a democratic society in which journalists must be able to investigate, access sources and public spaces, and publish information of public interest without fear of arbitrary restrictions or persecution
WHEREAS the first principle of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people.”
THE 82nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
To condemn judicial, executive, and regulatory pressure aimed at limiting media independence, restricting access to public information, or compromising the confidentiality of journalistic sources
To urge the federal government to guarantee journalists access to public institutions and to cease any practice of exclusion based on the content, editorial approach, or alleged political orientation of their coverage
To reject any use of the FCC or other regulatory agencies to pressure, intimidate, or impose conditions on media outlets and broadcasters because of their content, opinions, or editorial positions
To urge the Department of Justice to strengthen safeguards protecting confidential sources and to limit the use of subpoenas to exceptional circumstances, in accordance with the highest standards of press freedom
To warn that any discretionary expansion of the categories of information exempt from FOIA disclosure threatens transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to be informed
To urge the authorities to ensure that immigration and visa policies applicable to foreign journalists are not used as instruments of censorship, retaliation, or discrimination based on their reporting
To reaffirm that a free press is an essential safeguard of democracy and that no government should decide which journalists deserve access, which media outlets may report, or which sources may be protected.
