Another journalist murdered in Colombia, Central American countries that continue to impose digital authoritarianism, and the closure of radio stations in Venezuela were the most important news items recorded by SIP Bot.
The director of the website Voces de Córdoba, Colombia, Rafael Moreno, was murdered this week. The journalist had denounced that he had received life threats following his denunciations of corruption and crimes committed by illegal armed groups.
Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua governments continue to redouble their efforts to control the news, restrict free access to the Internet, and censor opposition parties.
In Paraguay, there is a debate on whether electoral propaganda through social networks should be controlled or whether this represents an attack on freedom of expression.
IAPA Bot's weekly report also reflected that the regime of Nicolas Maduro ordered the closure of three other radio stations. The government shut down more than 40 stations this year.
In Mexico, a reporter and a cameraman were attacked while covering the kidnapping of a minor. In Colombia, several hooded individuals vandalized a Caracol Radio Cali vehicle. The attack left three workers and the head of marketing of the media outlet with injuries.
The most influential tweet of the week generated 3,806 interactions and was written by @figuraretorica. The tweet's text is, "My most cancellable opinion is that people deprived of liberty deserve dignified spaces, recreational activities, clean facilities, good medical care, and opportunities to rehabilitate themselves. I said it on TikTok, and they're already telling me how I will die."
The IAPA Bot is an artificial intelligence tool of the Inter American Press Association that monitors press freedom violations in real-time. It tracks information published in the media, Google News, Twitter, and a selection of stories and complaints. In addition, it contains a heat map that allows observing the press freedom climate in each country, a button to make complaints, and a menu highlighting government leaders' statements, citizens' conversations, and relevant events.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting press freedom and freedom of expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications in the Western Hemisphere. It is based in Miami, Florida, United States.
