Miami (March 2, 2010).–The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today expressed its solidarity to the people of Chile following the earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of the South American country on Saturday. The organization also offered encouragement to news media and journalists during their “important job of communicating, acting as liaison and providing guidance in these times of catastrophe and emergency.”
“We stand behind the Chilean people in general and the journalists and news media in particular, who, despite being struck by the tragedy, are key figures of support to the citizens and authorities during a catastrophe, as well as beyond, during reconstruction,” informed IAPA President Alejandro Aguirre. “We also want to recognize,” he added. “the great journalistic work that many of our colleagues have carried out under very difficult circumstances so that the world sees the seriousness of the situation.”
Aguirre, managing editor of the Miami, Florida, Spanish-language newspaper Diario Las Américas, said that while there was little information about the state of the news media in general, he was aware that some local newspapers were likely hit and unable to publish, among them La Prensa of Curicó and Centro of Talca, both located some 125 miles south of the Chilean capital, Santiago, in the Seventh Region, or Maule region, site of the epicenter of the quake that was recorded as 8.8 on the Richter scale.
It is also known that the Concepción newspapers El Sur and La Crónica were unable to circulate their print papers and were limited to online versions. Radio and television station operations have been affected by problems, including the loss of electrical power.
The IAPA has scheduled its next annul General Assembly membership meeting in Santiago, from October 15-19 this year.
The IAPA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the defense and promotion of freedom of the press and of expression in the Americas. It is made up of more than 1,300 print publications from throughout the Western Hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida. For more information, please go to http://www.sipiapa.org
