Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán will also attend the opening ceremony, scheduled for October 22
Miami (October 14, 2026) – President Abelardo De La Espriella will open the 82nd General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), to be held in Bogotá from October 22 to 25. The gathering will bring together more than 70 prominent journalism leaders, media executives, and experts from the Americas and Spain to discuss challenges to press freedom and the future of the news industry.
One week before the event begins, IAPA confirmed that the opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, October 22, at 3:00 p.m. at the Hilton Bogotá Hotel, with Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán also in attendance.
The participation of national and local authorities in the opening ceremony is part of an initiative aimed at strengthening dialogue among journalists, public institutions, and key players in the media industry.
The four-day program will combine an examination of press freedom across the continent with discussions on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, new business models, intellectual property, trust in news, journalist safety, and changing audiences.
Explore the final program of the 82nd General Assembly and register to attend.
Participants include Marc Lacey, managing editor of The New York Times, who will address the challenges facing independent journalism in the United States; and Luis Fernández, chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, who will share his perspective on changes in the media business and new opportunities for Spanish-language journalism.
Artificial intelligence will be a central theme of the program. Ron Suskind, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, and founder of Sourcebase.ai, will examine how this technology can strengthen investigative reporting. Emilio García-Ruiz, editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, will present the experience of transforming a longstanding news organization in response to technological change and evolving audience expectations.
The agenda will include discussions on editorial innovation, monetization, product development, financial sustainability, and the challenges arising from the relationship between technology platforms and news organizations. The goal is to share experiences and explore practical responses to strengthen journalism in a constantly changing information ecosystem.
Defending press freedom, IAPA’s core mission, will remain a priority. Delegates from countries across the Americas will review semiannual reports on conditions for journalism, restrictions on access to information, violence against journalists, judicial pressure, and other threats to media independence.
One discussion will focus on impunity for crimes against journalists, a persistent problem requiring stronger efforts in investigation, justice, and redress. Sexual harassment in newsrooms and the need to build safe professional environments will also be addressed, with the participation of Jineth Bedoya Lima, gender editor at El Tiempo and a prominent advocate for the rights of women journalists.
The Assembly will also feature a particularly meaningful moment for Ibero-American journalism: a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of “The Best Job in the World,” the historic speech Gabriel García Márquez delivered before IAPA in 1996. Jaime Abello, president of the Gabo Foundation; Rosental Calmon Alves, founder of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas; María Teresa Ronderos, co-founder of the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP); and Enrique Santos Calderón, former IAPA president, will reflect on the continuing relevance of the Colombian Nobel laureate’s ideas and the profession’s essential principles.
Honoring Journalism and Press Freedom
IAPA’s major institutional honors will be presented during the Assembly. The New York Times will receive the 2026 IAPA Grand Prize for Press Freedom in recognition of its defense of independent journalism, constitutional protections, and the public’s right to be informed.
The 2026 Chapultepec Grand Prize will honor the Constitutional Chamber of Costa Rica’s Supreme Court of Justice for its contribution to protecting freedom of expression and of the press, media pluralism, and citizens’ right to receive independent information.
The Gabo Foundation will receive the 2026 Great Friend of the Press Award in recognition of more than three decades devoted to promoting excellence, training, and stronger journalism throughout Ibero-America.
Pilar Gil, CEO of PRISA Media, will receive the 2026 Executive of the Year Award, recognizing her leadership and contribution to innovation and transformation in the media industry.
The 2026 IAPA Excellence in Journalism Awards ceremony will also take place, honoring outstanding work by journalists and news organizations across the Americas. For the first time, this year’s awards include a category dedicated to journalism with a gender-equality perspective, sponsored by the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) of the Organization of American States.
IAPA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and freedom of expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 media outlets across the Western Hemisphere and is headquartered in Miami, Florida, United States.SIP
