Acceptance Speech for the Grand Friend of the Press Award: Redacciones5G, Pedro López Matheu, Argentina
Acceptance Speech for the Grand Friend of the Press Award: Redacciones5G, Pedro López Matheu, Argentina
October 17, 2025
On behalf of Telecom Argentina, I would like to thank the authorities of the Inter American Press Association for honoring our Redacciones5G program with this great distinction, and for inviting us to take part in this 81st General Assembly—an event that, year after year, plays such a decisive role in advancing press freedom and the sustainability of media throughout the Americas.
It is an honor to be here today receiving the Grand Friend of the Press award, together with the team with whom we carry out the Redacciones5G program from Argentina for the region. This initiative, developed in collaboration with journalists, newsrooms, and media leaders, has been driven forward as part of a strategic decision.
This year we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of our program, which was born with the mission of supporting the evolution of journalism and media toward the new technological frontiers that have rapidly emerged over the past decade, impacting newsrooms and the production of information.
Through Redacciones5G, we have reached more than 350 media outlets in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, and across the region; we have trained over 10,000 journalism and communications professionals and more than 3,000 students in journalism, communications, and related fields.
Redacciones5G is a program created by journalists for journalists—a space for dialogue and reflection on the transformations shaping this profession.
In the early years, we challenged ourselves through workshops exploring the impact of mobile internet in newsrooms. We trained journalists in digital tools for mobile news production, focused on audience engagement when audiences became central to news creation, and today, we are discussing prompts and the implications of implementing artificial intelligence in newsrooms.
Over the past year, we introduced the “Journalism AI” guide, designed to integrate artificial intelligence into journalistic processes, which we were pleased to present during the last Assembly held in our beloved city of Córdoba, Argentina. As you may know, it is freely available in two languages, and we invite those who have not yet explored it to download it from our Redacciones5G website. We also encourage you to get to know our program through all its channels—our newsletter, podcast, and social media platforms.
Throughout these ten years, we have reflected on the challenges but, above all, we have highlighted the opportunities—those that innovation brings to the ways we produce, distribute, and even personalize journalistic content, and the value that technology generates when consciously adopted by media to connect with their readers. That conviction is what brings us together at this Assembly today.
It underscores Telecom’s commitment to the ongoing evolution of journalism, represented by you—the protagonists of this profession throughout the Americas. Over time, we have experienced a journey of shared growth and transformation, which inspires us to continue walking alongside you. Our mission drives us forward: to keep connecting media and news with their audiences.
We are marking ten years of innovation, technology, and journalism through our Redacciones5G program, and we embrace the challenge of continuing to support you as new technological frontiers emerge—contributing to the sustainability of media and reaffirming our belief in the essential role they play in democracy.
Once again, I thank the IAPA authorities for this remarkable honor and wish you all a very successful annual Assembly.
Thank you very much.
