"Truthful Information"

"TRUTHFUL INFORMATION" WHEREAS the study and discussion of the so-called right to "truthful information" is on the agenda of the VII Summit of Inter-American Countries to take place November 8 and 9 on Margarita Island, to be attended by presidents and chiefs of state this concept threatens ideological and inforrnative plurality, the foundation of democracy, and opens the door to authoritarianism by encouraging governments to set themselves as the arbiter of truth that right to determine the truth belongs not to government but to citizens, who exercise that right every day through their own choices of information and opinion the concept of "truthful information" contradicts the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights which guarantees the right to express opinions and the right of citizens to gather, receive, and disseminate information the history of attempts to control the press is filled with such proposals, including the lamented "New Information Order," which are veiled and not so veiled governmental mechanisms to manipulate information this proposal would mean the beginning of a long and arduous task of unnecessary friction between the press, governments, and politicai powers THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to ask the presidents and chiefs of state of the lbero-American countries not to approve the proposal about the "right to 'truthful information'" because it is harmful to ideological and informative plurality, and seriously endangers freedom of expression by encouraging intervention, manipulation, abuses and other actions restricting this freedom to recommend that all lAPA members inform their fellow citizens in their respective countries as soon as possible about the dangers posed by the possible adoption of the proposal on "truthful information" at the Summit in order to ensure that these petitions are received directly and quickly by the chiefs of state, the Inter American Press Association commends to the regional vice-chairmen of the Committee on Freedom of Press, together with the rest of the Association's members, the formation of special committees in each country to accomplish this task.