President Luis Abinader, together with IAPA President José Roberto Dutriz, hold up the Salta II Declaration, which has just been signed by the Dominican leader.
Punta Cana (October 16) - The 81st General Assembly of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) began today in this city, with the presence of the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader Corona, who signed the Salta II Declaration on Principles of Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age.
“We know that a government that fears the press fears the truth. And a government that protects the truth, wherever it comes from, protects its people. That is why we have promoted the process of modernizing our legislation on freedom of expression and the media to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” the president said before more than 200 editors and journalists from the hemisphere.
IAPA President José Roberto Dutriz, editor of La Prensa Gráfica in El Salvador, opened the meeting and highlighted the dangers threatening press freedom, emphasizing the situation of journalists and media in the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump.
¨The government's crackdown on media outlets and journalists, the use of lawsuits as a tool for harassment, and threats to broadcasting licenses have revealed a dangerous trend. This is not just about attacks on newspapers or television networks; it is about the weakening of the most influential democratic system in our hemisphere. And what happens in Washington, let's not kid ourselves, has repercussions throughout the Americas," Dutriz said.
The IAPA president highlighted the value of the IAPA's international missions, which in the last year have been carried out in Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, and Washington, D.C., and announced new resources to strengthen the Latin American Network of Journalism in Exile (RELPEX).
“Despite the difficulties, journalism in the Americas continues to produce work of enormous quality,” said Dutriz, urging “a renewed commitment to the essential value that gives meaning to our profession: the right of societies to be informed. Without independent journalism, there can be no democracy.”
The president of the Host Committee of the 81st IAPA Assembly, Persio Maldonado, editor of El Nuevo Diario, welcomed the attendees and highlighted the importance of holding a forum for reflection on press freedom in this country. “We hope that your presence will motivate us to achieve a new, modern, and up-to-date communications law in the Dominican Republic in the coming months, one that includes the entire reality of the digital ecosystem,” he said.
OAS Assistant Secretary General Laura Gil underscored the relevance of journalism in democracies and highlighted the symmetry between multilateralism and the media. "If the media is the space where societies look at themselves, multilateralism is the place where nations try to understand each other. Multilateralism and the media are based on the conviction that truth and cooperation are not naive aspirations, but practical necessities," Gil said.
In the coming days, editors, journalists, and media executives from across the continent will discuss the main challenges facing contemporary journalism, focusing on press freedom, media sustainability, and the impact of artificial intelligence. The IAPA's annual meeting will conclude on Sunday with the transition of the IAPA presidency.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the defense and promotion of press freedom and freedom of expression in the Americas. It is made up of more than 1,300 media outlets in the Western Hemisphere and is headquartered in Miami, Florida, United States.