Freedom of the press, artificial intelligence, and the future of the media will be the focus of four days of debates, meetings, and awards ceremonies from October 22 to 25
Miami (September 30, 2026) – The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) today announced the final program for its 82nd General Assembly, which will bring together media leaders, publishers, journalists, executives, and experts from the Americas and Spain in Bogotá, Colombia, from October 22 to 25. The program will bring together more than 70 leading figures in journalism from across the region.
Over four days at the Hilton Bogotá Hotel, the Assembly will offer an agenda that combines the IAPA’s historic mission of defending freedom of expression and freedom of the press with the major challenges facing the industry today: artificial intelligence, economic sustainability, the transformation of newsrooms, new business models, intellectual property, trust in the news, the safety of journalists, and new ways of engaging with audiences.
View the final program for the 82nd General Assembly and register to attend.
The event will bring together leading figures from journalism and the media industry. Marc Lacey, editorial director of The New York Times, will participate at a time when the debate over press freedom and the relationship between power and the media is taking on special relevance in the United States. Luis Fernández, CEO of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, will share his perspective on the evolution of the business, audiences, and the future of Spanish-language media.
Main Thematic Areas
Artificial intelligence will be a central theme in many of the discussions, not only in terms of technological innovation but also in terms of its implications for the production, research, distribution, and sustainability of journalism. Ron Suskind, journalist, author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and founder of Sourcebase.ai, will analyze AI’s potential to expand the investigative capabilities of newsrooms. Emilio García-Ruiz, editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, will share the experience of transforming a historic media outlet in the face of rapid digital change and the adoption of new technologies.
As it does every year, press freedom will take center stage. Delegates will examine and debate reports on the situation in countries across the Americas, in a regional context marked by violence against journalists, harassment, judicial pressure, restrictions on access to public information, and other forms of interference with the practice of independent journalism.
The Assembly will focus particularly on the persistent impunity surrounding crimes against journalists and on the strategies needed to promote justice and reparations. It will also launch a discussion on preventing and responding to sexual harassment in newsrooms, featuring, among others, Jineth Bedoya Lima, gender editor at El Tiempo and an international leader in the defense of women journalists’ rights.
The memory and testimonial value of Colombian journalism will also take center stage with Jesús Abad Colorado, who has documented the human consequences of the armed conflict in Colombia through his photographs for more than three decades.
Another key theme will be the sustainability of journalism. Executives and experts will analyze how to respond to changing consumption habits, audience fragmentation, and the emergence of new technologies, with discussions on innovation, monetization, product development, new business models, and strategies to strengthen the relationship between the media and their communities.
Gabriel García Márquez and “The Best Job in the World”
The Assembly will also set aside a special moment to commemorate the 30th anniversary of “The Best Job in the World,” the historic speech delivered by Gabriel García Márquez before the IAPA in 1996. Jaime Abello, president of the Gabo Foundation; Rosental Calmon Alves, founder and director 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 president of the IAPA, will reflect on the enduring relevance of that message three decades later and on the essential principles of the profession at a time when technology is once again reshaping its practices and boundaries.
IAPA Awards
The agenda will also include the presentation of the IAPA’s major institutional awards. The New York Times will receive the 2026 IAPA Grand Prize for Press Freedom—the organization’s highest honor in this area—for its defense of constitutional guarantees, independent journalism, and the public’s right to be informed in the face of mounting pressures.
The 2026 Chapultepec Grand Prize will be awarded to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica, in recognition of its jurisprudence that has strengthened freedom of expression, freedom of the press, media pluralism, and the public’s right to receive independent information.
The Gabo Foundation will receive the 2026 Great Friend of the Press Award for more than three decades of contributions to excellence, training, and the strengthening of Ibero-American journalism, while Pilar Gil, CEO of PRISA Media, will be honored with the 2026 Executive of the Year Award for her leadership, business vision, and contributions to innovation and transformation in the industry.
Bogotá will also host the ceremony for the 2026 SIP Awards for Excellence in Journalism, which will recognize outstanding work by journalists and media outlets. This edition introduces, for the first time, the category “Inter-American Journalism with a Perspective on Equality,” sponsored by the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM).
With this combination of debates on press freedom, innovation, and sustainability; conversations with industry leaders; analysis of the regional situation; and recognition of the best journalism, the 82nd General Assembly will seek to offer a comprehensive view of the challenges that will shape the immediate future of the media in the Americas.
The IAPA offers preferential room rates for participants at the Hilton Bogotá, the venue for all Assembly sessions and activities, and recommends making reservations in advance.
Special-rate reservations for participants at the Hilton Bogotá
