WHEREAS President Gustavo Petro, in his public statements, presidential addresses, and posts on X, has maintained a constant and increasingly harsh stigmatization of journalists and media outlets critical of his administration, labeling them as opponents and holding them responsible for criminal behavior and the country’s structural problems
WHEREAS these denigrating messages are echoed by the national government and members of the ruling party, and amplified through social media, which increases attacks on journalistic work
WHEREAS the public media system is being used to exclusively reproduce the official line, eliminating the diversity of voices, ideas, and opinions contrary to those of the government
WHEREAS the principles of freedom of expression establish that public officials are subject to greater scrutiny by society and that States must refrain from using their power and resources to punish, reward, or privilege journalists and media outlets based on their editorial positions
WHEREAS the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights warns that stigmatization undermines public debate
WHEREAS Article 6 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “The media and journalists should neither be discriminated against nor favored because of what they write or say.”
THE 81st GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SIP RESOLVES
To emphasize that stigmatization constitutes a form of advocacy for violence that not only incites aggression against the press but also deepens intolerance, division, and polarization within society
To urge the government to immediately cease its stigmatization of journalists and media outlets
To call on the government to respect the principles of freedom of expression, which entails tolerating criticism and refraining from engaging in discriminatory actions—positive or negative—based on journalists’ editorial positions
To urge the government to ensure that the public media system operates with editorial independence and reflects the diversity of voices and perspectives in the country, avoiding its use as a tool for official propaganda or as an exclusive platform to echo government discourse
To call on the government to refrain from granting privileges or imposing restrictions on media outlets and journalists based on their editorial lines, opinions, or reporting approaches, ensuring equitable conditions for the practice of journalism without discrimination or reprisals
To draw the government’s attention to the importance of fully respecting all guarantees inherent in the exercise of press freedom, especially in the context of upcoming electoral processes, where such respect is essential to ensure and safeguard the proper functioning of democracy.
