Argentina

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WHEREAS a law on access to public information was passed in Argentina after a decade and a half in which bills were introduced but then became bogged down in Congress


WHEREAS the Argentine government has issued a resolution banning the use of government advertising for propagandistic purposes and setting objective guidelines for the placement of such advertising in line with inter-American standards, and Congress has taken steps toward creating a law on this matter


WHEREAS President Mauricio Macri, at the urging of the IAPA and ADEPA (Association of Argentine Journalism Entities), has signed the Declaration of Chapultepec


WHEREAS the flow of information of public interest has regained high levels of transparency, and is again in step with modern times; press conferences given by senior government officials are again a common practice; the state-owned media has ceased to behave as journalistic mouthpieces for the political interests of the government of the day; the policy of harassment and stigmatization pursued by those in political power, which was a trademark of the previous administration, has ceased; and the overall climate for journalism has noticeably improved


WHEREAS the Principle 1 of the Declaration of Chapultepec says: "No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people".


THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES


To salute the commitment of the Argentine government to freedom of expression, as well as the government initiatives pursued, measures adopted and laws enacted to foster an institutionally healthy environment for the practice of journalism


To request that the Argentine Congress, in addressing legislative initiatives related to government advertising, uphold principles universally accepted by the free press and, in particular, championed by the inter-American human rights system, including the notions that information of public interest should be disseminated as broadly as possible and that government advertising should not be used as a subsidy, reward or punishment.

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