Cordoba, Argentina (October 20, 2024) The publisher of La Prensa Gráfica of El Salvador, José Roberto Dutriz, took office today as president of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) at the conclusion of the organization's 80th general assembly in this city of Argentina.
Dutriz replaces the Mexican Roberto Rock, publisher of the portal La Silla Rota, as IAPA president. He is the first Salvadoran to head the main media organization in the Western Hemisphere, whose founding dates back to 1926, but which began to take shape in 1942.
"A bold and up-to-date IAPA will always be a cornerstone in the contribution of free and developed societies," said Dutriz in his first speech as IAPA president.
In November he announced that he will travel to Panama at the head of a delegation that will meet with President José Raúl Mulino and other sectors of Panamanian society.
"We will continue to commit democratic leaders to the principles of Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Expression through the Declaration of Chapultepec and the updated Declaration of Salta, seeking to strengthen guarantees for the free exercise of journalism," Dutriz said.
The IAPA approved in Córdoba the update of the Salta Declaration on Principles of Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age, initially promulgated in 2018. The document contains a series of principles to protect the free flow of information and the promotion of public freedoms in the digital ecosystem.
"The now Salta II Declaration will allow us to continue to strive for our industry and against all agents that erode trust in our audiences, whether through improper business practices, intellectual property infringements or by amplifying channels of disinformation," said Dutriz.
The 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..
