Miami (October 12, 2011)—Violence unleashed against the press and individual journalists in many countries in the Americas is one of the principal issues that will be on the agenda of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) General Assembly that is to be held beginning on Friday in Lima, Peru.
The event, to be officially opened by Peru’s President Ollanta Humala, will put emphasis on one of the greatest problems faced by the press in the Western Hemisphere today, with 21 journalists murdered since April. Already at that time the IAPA, meeting in San Diego, California, had described 2011 as “the most tragic year for the press.”
Of the 21 murders of news men and women, four were committed in Brazil, five in Honduras, five in Mexico, three in Peru and one each in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The 67th General Assembly, which will take place at Lima’s Swisshötel hotel, as well as reviewing how press freedom has fared in the Americas will offer insights into the professionalization and maintenance of the news industry and panel discussions focusing on legal and ethical aspects, among them the tendency of governments in Latin America to impose new press laws that end up being means of censorship.
Several international specialists will attend as guests of the IAPA to talk about how to make newspapers’ news content profitable and how to reach new audiences through the Internet and mobile phones.
Former presidents of Latin American nations will review the challenges that press freedom and free speech are facing in the region, while publishers, editors and reporters will be able to hear Julian Assange speak about his motives for distributing secret diplomatic cables through Wikileaks, a Web site that as a source of information has produced both supporters and detractors.
During five days the meeting will hold four seminars on news industry issues and the IAPA awards for excellence in journalism will be presented.
For more details about the IAPA General Assembly, go to http://sip-asambleas.org/2/home.php.
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; http://www.impunidad.com.
