Mexico City (November 9, 2023) - With a standing ovation, more than 300 people attending the annual meeting of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) in this city paid tribute to Argentine journalist Ricardo Trotti in recognition of his 30 years of defending and promoting freedom of expression and press freedom.
"It is no exaggeration to say that both my predecessors and I would not have been able to do our work without Ricardo," said IAPA President Michael Greenspon of The New York Times.
Greenspon recalled how Trotti joined the IAPA in 1993, serving as director of the Press Institute and director of Press Freedom before becoming the organization's executive director.
The IAPA president presented Trotti with the IAPA's 2023 Presidential Award "with the greatest of gratitude". The award is given each year by the outgoing president to the most outstanding personalities of the institution.
The head of the IAPA presented Trotti with the IAPA Presidential Award 2023 "with the greatest of gratitude. The award is given each year by the outgoing president to the most outstanding personalities of the institution.
A video produced by the team of TV Azteca, the host of the 79th IAPA General Assembly in Mexico, summarized Trotti's career, from his beginnings as editor-in-chief of the newspaper El Liberal, of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, to his mobilizations throughout the continent in favor of the fundamental values of journalism.
Several former IAPA presidents gave video testimonies on the importance of Trotti's career, including María Elvira Domínguez of Colombia; Jorge Canahuati of Honduras; Gustavo Mohme of Peru; Danilo Arbilla of Uruguay; Andrés García Gamboa of Mexico; Christopher Barnes of Jamaica; Jaime Mantilla of Ecuador and Matthew Sanders of the United States.
Other executives who expressed their appreciation to the executive were Carlos Jornet and Martín Etchevers, from Argentina; José Roberto Dutriz, from El Salvador; Juan Pablo Illanes, from Chile; Armando Castilla, from Mexico; and Sebastián Pastor, from Honduras.
In thanking the delegates for their expressions of admiration and appreciation at the assembly, which will conclude on November 12, Trotti thanked in particular his wife, Graciela Trotti, as well as the IAPA staff who accompanied him in his work.
At the conclusion of the meeting, journalist Carlos Lauría will replace Trotti as IAPA executive director.
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.
