Appreciations

WHEREAS our Host Committee, consisting of Elizabeth Ballantine, Durango Herald, Durango, Colorado; Scott C. Schurz, Schurz Communications, Bloomington, Indiana; Edward Seaton, Seaton Newspapers, Manhattan, Kansas; and Dean Singleton, Denver Post, Denver, Colorado, worked diligently and with a spirit of collaboration, hospitality, and cordiality that gave such luster to our gathering WHEREAS the 69th General Assembly received generous support from the following people and organizations: the Associated Press; the Denver Post; El Pueblo of Chihuahua, Mexico; Seaton Newspapers; Scott C. Schurz; Susan McClatchy; the Ballantine Family Fund; the Scripps Howard Foundation; and Western Union WHEREAS on Friday afternoon, at the first of the series of seminars, titled “Video Channels in Digital Media Help Grow Audience and Revenue of Online Advertising,” panelists Martin Radelfinger, Goldbach Group AG, San Francisco, California; and Marcos Enríquez, Advernet, Madrid, Spain, shared innovative insights of great value to attendees; and moderating the event was Sue Cross, Associated Press, New York, New York WHEREAS the “Visit Denver” tourism office arranged to allow attendees at the 69th General Assembly to use their badges to gain free or reduced-price admission to museums and other participating attractions WHEREAS Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, the Denver Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, and the Denver International Airport hosted an enjoyable cocktail party on Friday afternoon at the Brown Palace to welcome the IAPA’s Executive Committee and Advisory Council WHEREAS on Saturday morning, a seminar titled “Alternative Growth Models for the Newspaper Industry” featured thoroughly researched presentations by Pedro José Zavala, El Comercio, Lima, Peru, and Hernán Chaparro, GFK Conecta, Lima, Peru, which addressed issues of great interest to the Latin American journalism industry, and which was moderated by Carlos Jornet, La Voz del Interior, Córdoba, Argentina WHEREAS at midday Saturday, Bill Richardson, a distinguished statesman who has held high-ranking posts in the United States government, and who has also served as a special envoy of the general secretary of the Organization of American States, honored us with his participation in a panel discussion titled “The Inter-American Human Rights System and U.S.-Latin America Relations,” a session conducted in conversational style with former IAPA president Milton Coleman, where they engaged the attendees with their vast knowledge, experience, and vision with regard to hemispheric matters WHEREAS Gary B. Pruitt, president and CEO of the Associated Press, was the keynote speaker at a luncheon on Saturday, where he shared, in a collegial setting, his ideas on the obstacles facing journalism today and on the inherent strengths that will enable journalism to overcome these obstacles; and his remarks were preceded by an eloquent introduction by Host Committee member Elizabeth Ballantine, Durango Herald, Durango, Colorado WHEREAS on Saturday afternoon, at the second session in the seminar series, José María Moreno, CEO, International Institute for Media Development, Madrid, Spain, and Matt Kelly, Cases I Associats, Barcelona, Spain, shared their experience and proficiency in adaptive web design as it relates to the future of news sharing and advertising through mobile devices, along with the valuable participation of Gustavo Mohme, La República, Lima, Peru, as moderator WHEREAS at the final session in the series of seminars at the 69th General Assembly, titled “The Impact of Big Data on the News Media,” presenters Iván Gómez Caderno, Classora.com, Madrid, Spain; Francisco Vásquez, Audience Circles, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia; and Mariano Blejman, Knight International Journalism Fellow, Buenos Aires, Argentina addressed issues of fundamental importance to the media’s relationship of the new audiences of the digital era; and the session was moderated by Rosental Alves, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas WHEREAS on Saturday evening, at the headquarters of the Denver Post, Dean Singleton, publisher of the newspaper and a member of the Host Committee, welcomed the participants of the 69th General Assembly and graciously hosted an enjoyable reception that displayed the spirit of mutual understanding and appreciation among media outlets from the United States, Latin America, the English-speaking Caribbean, and Spain WHEREAS on Sunday morning, at the first panel discussion of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, titled “The Spying Techniques of the U.S. Government and Their Impact on Press Freedom,” noted journalists Greg Moore of the Denver Post and Jim Clarke of the Associated Press, along with Bruce Sanford, general counsel to the Society of Professional Journalists, Washington, D.C., discussed the Edward Snowden case and its repercussions throughout the world, and shared with attendees their insightful views on the relationship between government and personal privacy; and, moreover, the session featured the participation of Earl Maucker, former IAPA president and former editor of the Sun Sentinel of Florida WHEREAS Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Virginia, led a discussion of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, where he elaborated on the issues raised at the previous panel discussion and shared the perspective of U.S.-based organizations that are monitoring the state of press freedom at one of its most troubling times WHEREAS Cuban writer and journalist Yoani Sánchez, author of the “Generación Y” blog and current regional vice president for Cuba on the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, once again graced the gathering of the IAPA with her presence and shared an important report on the situation in Cuba, which elicited acclaim, solidarity, and support from the attendees WHEREAS at a luncheon on Sunday, United States Senator Michael Bennet, one of the sponsors of the immigration reform bill currently pending in the U.S. Congress, discussed the prospects for this initiative, which is being closely followed throughout the hemisphere due to its significance; and former IAPA president Tony Pederson, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, created a setting conducive to a dialogue and exchange of views with the senator, which was observed with great interest by the attendees WHEREAS at the following panel discussion of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, panelists Juan Carlos Solines, former president of the National Telecommunications Council of Ecuador (CONATEL), and César Montúfar, a professor at Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, led an interesting discussion on Ecuador’s Gag Law, with the noteworthy contribution of former IAPA president Danilo Arbilla, Búsqueda, Montevideo, Uruguay, who served as moderator WHEREAS El Pueblo newspaper of Chihuahua, Mexico, sponsored a reception and dinner on Sunday at The Fort, a restaurant located at Red Rocks Park, where participants in the 69th General Assembly had the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty, traditional culture, and picturesque scenery of the state of Colorado WHEREAS at a panel discussion titled “The Future of Journalism: Journalism and Freedom of the Press in the 21st Century,” panelists Theodore Glasser, Stanford University, Stanford, California, and Caroline Little, president and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America, Washington, D.C., commanded great interest among attendees in their discussion of issues related to the training and education of journalists and the future priorities of the profession; and their remarks were enhanced by the participation of the former chairman of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Robert Rivard, Rivard Report, San Antonio, Texas, who served as moderator WHEREAS the panel discussion titled “Drugs in the Americas: Legalization of Marijuana” combined the knowledge of experts such as Jack Finlaw, chief legal counsel to the governor of Colorado, and Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, with the journalistic experience of Roberto Rock, El Universal, Mexico City, Mexico, who served as moderator, which fostered a lively exchange of ideas and commentary that was appreciated by attendees WHEREAS Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Lieutenant Governor Joseph García, and Ken Salazar, former U.S. secretary of the interior, honored the 69th General Assembly of the IAPA with their presence at the opening ceremony at midday on Monday WHEREAS Glenn Greenwald, a columnist for the London newspaper The Guardian, participated in a teleconference from Brazil and described for attendees how he revealed the leaks by Edward Snowden of the National Security Agency of the United States, which, in addition to being a journalistic achievement, also pertains to the IAPA’s fundamental concerns about the relationship between journalism, government, and the public WHEREAS on Monday afternoon, Amy Mitchell of the Pew Center in Washington, D.C., led a panel discussion titled “How People Use Facebook to Disseminate and Consume News,” where she shared statistics and trends of great assistance in understanding how the social networking giant operates vis-à-vis the news; and the session also featured Pierre Manigault, Evening Post Publishing Co., Charleston, South Carolina, who served as moderator WHEREAS on Monday evening Western Union sponsored a reception and dinner at the Denver Art Museum, which served as a memorable setting for the announcement of the IAPA’s Awards for Excellence in Journalism and for the presentation of a video produced for the IAPA by Venezuelan journalist Gabriela Perozo, titled “IAPA, a Retaining Wall Against Censorship,” which elicited praise from attendees WHEREAS the IAPA’s staff members, translators, interpreters, and technicians performed outstanding work with a strong spirit of collaboration and service for attendees THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to express on behalf of the president, its officers, directors and members its deepest gratitude and appreciation to the people and entities that contributed to and supported this 69th General Assembly of the IAPA in Denver, Colorado.