IAPA Midyear Meeting. April 23 - 24, 2026.
WHEREAS President Gustavo Petro continues to persist, through his presidential addresses, public statements, and his X account, in a constant and forceful stigmatization of journalists and media outlets critical of the government’s performance, referring to them in disparaging and pejorative terms, labeling them as opponents, and holding them responsible for criminal conduct and for the country’s problems
WHEREAS denigrating messages against the press are echoed by the National Government and politicians from the ruling party, particularly through social media, thereby intensifying attacks on the practice of journalism
WHEREAS the public media system in Colombia continues to be used as an amplifier of the presidential message, without opening space to voices and opinions that differ from those set forth by 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 favor journalists and media outlets based on their editorial lines
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 the Declaration of Chapultepec, in its Article 6, states: “The media and journalists should neither be discriminated against nor favored because of what they write or say”
WHEREAS despite the resolution issued by the Inter American Press Association during its 81st General Assembly, as well as the recommendations made by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in December 2025, no changes are evident to fully guarantee press freedom in Colombia.
THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES
To underscore that stigmatization constitutes a form of advocacy of violence, which not only incites attacks against the press but also deepens levels of intolerance, division, and polarization in society
To reiterate its call on the Colombian government to immediately cease stigmatization against journalists and media outlets
To insist that respect for the principles of freedom of expression requires the government to tolerate criticism and refrain from adopting discriminatory measures—whether positive or negative—based on journalists’ editorial lines
To renew its call on the government to guarantee the editorial independence of the public media system and ensure that it reflects the diversity of voices and perspectives in the country, avoiding its use as a tool of official propaganda or as an exclusive space to replicate the government’s discourse
To reaffirm its call on the government to refrain from granting privileges or imposing restrictions on media outlets and journalists based on their editorial lines, opinions, or news approaches, and to ensure equitable conditions for the practice of journalism, free from discrimination or retaliation
To urge the government to recognize the importance of fully respecting all guarantees inherent to the exercise of press freedom, especially in the context of the ongoing electoral process, for which such respect is essential to ensuring and sustaining the proper functioning of democracy, and to act accordingly.
