Attacks on the Press

ATTACKS ON THE PRESS WHEREAS press freedom allows all types of media no matter what their political, economic, social or religious positions WHEREAS some federal, state and municipal governments use public funds to finance or subsidize media outlets or promote the establishment of new media organizations, to use them to undermine or destroy the credibility of those that publish information they do not like, that criticize their performance, or simply maintain an independent editorial policy WHEREAS recently it was proved in Peru that former president Alberto Fujimori of Peru had authorized government subsidies to support newspapers that discredited other media outlets WHEREAS these practices to attack the credibility of the press in general have occurred in several countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela WHEREAS Principle 6 of the Declaration of Chapultepec says no media outlet or journalist should be rewarded or punished for an editorial position THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to urge hemispheric governments not to promote attacks on the independent or opposition press using public resources or official or pro-government media demand that governments of the Americas refrain from using taxpayers’ funds to reward or punish media companies in their countries.