By Mariana Belloso
Dale Anglin of Press Forward and Daniel Coronell of Univision kicked off the presentations at the SIPConnect 2025 hemispheric conference on digital media.
By Mariana Belloso
Miami (July 16, 2025) — The first day of SIPConnect 2025, the conference on digital transformation and media sustainability organized by the Inter American Press Association (SIP), opened with two presentations highlighting the crucial role of innovation in ensuring the viability of journalism and addressing the advance of so-called 'information deserts.'
Dale R. Anglin, director of Press Forward, discussed purposeful innovation and new strategies to support local media. Press Forward is a coalition of donors investing over $500 million in local newsrooms across the United States, with 41 chapters from Alaska to Florida.
Anglin warned that local media continue to shrink amid increasing polarization, reduced civic engagement, and serious difficulties in generating sustainable revenue. "We need to focus on sustainability. We can do the best journalism, but if we don't have the funding to support ourselves, none of this matters," she pointed out. She added that it is crucial for organizations and donors focused on issues like climate change to also support journalism, "because people need to know what's happening."
According to Anglin, combating information deserts requires innovative models that strengthen local coverage close to communities. This includes new revenue sources, shared services, partnerships with universities, collaborations with content creators and influencers, as well as leveraging technological tools such as artificial intelligence.
The second presentation was given by Daniel Coronell, president of Univision Noticias, who addressed the impact of digitalization on democracy. He explained that the media have lost their traditional role as intermediaries between politicians and citizens, weakening public scrutiny and accountability. "Today, politicians can communicate directly with their voters without going through journalism, which asks them uncomfortable questions," he noted.
Coronell warned about the effect of 'echo chambers' created by social networks, which prioritize content that users already agree with. "The phone has also become an instrument of micro-marketing; the algorithm knows how we use our apps and sends us precisely targeted messages. The same happens in political communication," he explained.
This phenomenon, he cautioned, has led to confusion between credibility — based on reputation and verification — and plausibility — based on appearance and perception. "Restoring credibility is one of the biggest challenges journalists face," he affirmed.
The decline of media and attacks from power have direct consequences on electoral processes and the health of democracy. "Today, most voters get their information through social networks, through second or third-hand versions, deepening disintermediation," he pointed out. In the United States, for example, out of the 1,556 existing counties, 206 are already considered information deserts, lacking a traditional local news outlet.
Coronell concluded that, faced with this landscape, it is essential to strengthen audiences' abilities to distinguish between information and propaganda, continue producing quality journalism, and defend democracy: "If journalism disappears, we will surely have less democracy in the future."
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.