Miami (August 3, 2023) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) launched this week a survey whose results will shape the Chapultepec 2023 Index, which measures the freedom of the press and expression in 22 countries of the Americas.
Since its launch and first edition in 2020, this barometer has become a benchmark for the behavior of the State powers in matters of communication and information. The Index bears the name and measures aspects of the Chapultepec Declaration and the principles of the Salta Declaration on freedom of expression in the digital ecosystem. Each year, the Index sheds light on issues of violence and impunity against journalists, access to public information, indirect censorship, media control, press regulations, and citizen perceptions of freedom of expression.
Michael Greenspon, president of the IAPA and global director of Licensing and Print Innovation for The New York Times, referred to the maturation of the Index after four editions. "It is a comparative reference year after year and allows us to measure the advances and setbacks suffered by freedom of the press and expression, often tied to changes in government, ideologies, and the level of conflict in each country."
The Chapultepec Index is independent of other measurements and annual monitoring by the IAPA through its Commission on Freedom of the Press and Information. It is developed and prepared by academics from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas, Venezuela. The experts consulted are journalists, media directors, academics, and spokespersons for civil society organizations.
The changes registered up to this year are observed among the countries that compete for better respect for press freedom. However, the three previous versions have no differences among the worst-rated countries, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.
The results of the Chapultepec Index 2023 will be revealed during the 79th General Assembly that the IAPA will hold from November 9 to 12 in Mexico City.
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.
