Miami (June 9, 2023) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) urged the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and Argentina, Alberto Fernández, to stop the stigmatizing discourse against journalists and the media, recalling that disapproval from power can encourage violence against the press.
IAPA President Michael Greenspon, Global Head of Licensing & Print Innovation for The New York Times, said that the leaders of each country must be more responsible for their actions and words. "We have just experienced in Colombia how sanctioning discourse turned into acts of violence. I think this should invite us all to a deep reflection."
During pro-government marches in Bogota, Medellin, and Barranquilla, five Colombian journalists from RCN Radio, Blu Radio, and Caracol Radio were assaulted by demonstrators. Since the beginning of his presidency, Petro has been condemning the press, and in recent days he reiterated this after information about irregular money in his electoral campaign was denounced by a former Colombian ambassador to Venezuela.
In its biannual evaluation of Colombia last April, the IAPA expressed concern for President Petro's stigmatizing messages and bashed against the media and journalists, which it considered "potential generators of hatred."
The chairman of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Carlos Jornet, editor of La Voz del Interior of Argentina, said: "It is not a question of giving a blank check to journalists or prohibiting them from criticizing them, but the authorities must avoid their insults since it is an apology for violence."
This week in Argentina, on the eve of the celebration of Journalist's Day, President Alberto Fernandez justified the disqualification against the press. He said: "People lie, defame, insult, but we do not react, and we trust that the citizens will discover who is the defamer, the liar, the corrupt journalist who receives money to say what they want."
The IAPA officers recalled the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court of Costa Rica against President Rodrigo Chaves for verbally attacking journalists during a press conference in January, calling them "political hitmen." The Costa Rican Court pointed out that "certain expressions and words used by the officials are unjustified and constitute an excess, which could promote harassment against the media and journalists in question."
According to the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Stigmatization generates "a climate that prevents reasonable and pluralistic deliberation on all public issues."
IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere; and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.
