By Mariana Belloso
The keynote conversation, “The United States Heading Toward the Elections: Power, the Press, and Polarization,” was moderated by Martha Ramos, Editorial Director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM).
Picture: news.cornell.edu
By Mariana Belloso
Bogota (October 23, 2026) - During the Inter American Press Association’s (IAPA) 82nd General Assembly, held this week in Bogotá, The New York Times’s editorial director warned of growing pressure on the media, defended the need for journalism capable of withstanding political hostility, and cautioned about the risks artificial intelligence poses to the sustainability of newsrooms.
The keynote conversation, “The United States Heading Toward the Elections: Power, the Press, and Polarization,” featured Marc Lacey, editorial director of The New York Times, and was moderated by Martha Ramos, editorial director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM) and chair of the IAPA’s Press Freedom and Information Commission.
The session took place at a time of heightened tensions between the press and political power in the United States, a climate that, according to Lacey, is forcing news organizations to rethink their routines, strengthen their legal teams, and prepare for ongoing confrontations with those seeking to discredit journalistic work.
“What Trump says today must be taken seriously because it often turns into action,” Lacey said, describing how coverage of the current administration, which began in January 2025, has changed compared with the president’s first term, from 2017 to 2021.
Although the discussion focused on the U.S. political landscape, many of the issues raised reflect the realities of journalism across the rest of the continent. The IAPA, whose longstanding mission is to defend freedom of expression and freedom of the press throughout the Americas, devotes much of its annual gathering to examining trends affecting media outlets and journalists across the region, including systematic efforts to discredit the press, political polarization, disinformation, the economic sustainability of media, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry.
Lacey’s remarks addressed several factors shaping the debate over how media organizations can survive and continue fulfilling their democratic role in increasingly hostile environments. Here are five key points he highlighted:
1. Attacks on the press are no longer an isolated phenomenon
Lacey argued that the confrontation between the Trump administration and the media is now more intense than during the president’s first term. During his first administration, many presidential statements did not translate into concrete action, but the opposite is now often true.
“What he says must be taken seriously,” Lacey explained, noting that comments posted on Trump’s social media accounts often quickly become government decisions, executive orders, or restrictions targeting journalists and media outlets.
2. Newsrooms have had to reinvent themselves
One of the most significant changes Lacey described was The New York Times’s transformation into a global news operation running 24 hours a day. With teams in New York, London, and Seoul, the newspaper maintains continuous coverage to respond to political and social developments in real time. Its staff work in a constant cycle of monitoring and interpretation.
3. The First Amendment continues to hold, but it is being tested
Lacey defended the historic strength of U.S. institutions while acknowledging that they are facing new and greater strains. In his view, the system of checks and balances remains functional, but it is undergoing an extraordinary test.
For media organizations, this means strengthening their legal capabilities and preparing for increasingly frequent litigation involving access to information and freedom of the press.
4. Media organizations must stop viewing one another as competitors
One of Lacey’s most important messages to the IAPA audience was his call for collaboration. Faced with common threats, he said, media organizations cannot act in isolation.
As an example of the need for solidarity among news outlets, Lacey recalled a recent episode in which the Trump administration barred CNN, Politico, and MSNBC from accessing the White House and revoked their press credentials. The three outlets initiated legal action, but support extended far beyond them: news organizations with different editorial perspectives joined the effort to defend the press’s access to public institutions.
5. Artificial intelligence is an opportunity, but also a risk
Although artificial intelligence was a recurring theme throughout the IAPA General Assembly, Lacey stressed that the industry has yet to answer a fundamental question: Who will fund original journalism if technology platforms continue using journalistic content to train AI models without compensating those who produce that information?
For Lacey, the sustainability of investigative journalism depends directly on the existence of business models capable of funding reporting, news coverage, and fact-checking produced by human journalists.
The editorial director of The New York Times, who worked in Mexico for years, noted that journalism still depends on the same essential principles that have historically guided the profession: verifying facts, providing context, and seeking the truth.
