Press freedom, artificial intelligence and the future of media will be at the center of the agenda, October 22–25.
Miami (September 15, 2026) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) will hold its 82nd General Assembly from October 22 to 25 in Bogotá, Colombia, bringing together editors, journalists, media executives and specialists from the Americas and Spain to examine the major challenges facing journalism amid profound political, economic and technological transformations.
Over four days at the Hilton Bogotá, the Assembly will combine an assessment of the state of press freedom across the hemisphere with discussions on artificial intelligence, sustainability, newsroom transformation, new business models, intellectual property, trust in news, journalists’ safety, and the relationship between media and audiences.
The preliminary program is available at this link.
The agenda will feature prominent voices from journalism and the media industry. Marc Lacey, editorial director of The New York Times, will participate at a particularly complex moment for press freedom in the United States and for the relationship between those in power and the media. Luis Fernández, chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, will offer his perspective on the evolution of audiences, the business of media and the future of Spanish-language media.
IAPA has secured preferential accommodation rates for Assembly participants at the Hilton Bogotá, where all sessions and activities will take place. The organization recommends that those planning to attend make their reservations in advance at this link to take advantage of the special rates available to participants.
Artificial intelligence will occupy a central place on the agenda, with a perspective that goes beyond technology to examine its impact on journalistic work. Ron Suskind, journalist, author, Pulitzer Prize winner and founder of Sourcebase.ai, will explore the potential of AI to expand newsrooms’ investigative capabilities. Emilio García-Ruiz, editor in chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, will share the experience of transforming a historic media organization amid digital acceleration and the rise of artificial intelligence.
Press freedom, the founding mission of IAPA, will as always be the subject of detailed analysis and debate. Delegates from across the hemisphere will discuss reports on conditions in the countries of the Americas, amid violence, harassment, judicial pressure, restrictions on access to information and other threats to independent journalism.
The agenda will also address persistent impunity for crimes against journalists and efforts to advance justice and reparation. Prevention of and responses to sexual harassment in newsrooms will also be examined, with participants including Jineth Bedoya Lima, Gender Editor at El Tiempo. The memory of Colombian journalism will be represented through the work of Jesús Abad Colorado, who for more than three decades has documented the human consequences of the armed conflict.
The program will also examine the sustainability of journalism amid technological change and shifting consumption habits, with discussions on innovation, monetization, new business models and the relationship with audiences.
One of the Assembly’s most significant moments will commemorate the 30th anniversary of Gabriel García Márquez’s historic address to IAPA, “The Best Profession in the World.” Jaime Abello, president of the Gabo Foundation, and Rosental Calmon Alves, founder and director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, will reflect on the enduring relevance of that message at a time when technology is once again transforming the habits and boundaries of the profession.
The Assembly will also host the presentation of IAPA’s principal institutional honors. The New York Times will receive the 2026 IAPA Grand Prize for Press Freedom, in recognition of its distinguished record and defense of independent journalism, while the Chapultepec Grand Prize will honor the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica for its steadfast defense of freedom of expression and of the press and of citizens’ right to pluralistic and 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. Pilar Gil, CEO of PRISA Media, will be recognized with the 2026 Executive of the Year Award for her leadership, strategic vision and ability to drive innovation and transformation in the industry.
The 2026 IAPA Awards for Excellence in Journalism ceremony will also be held, recognizing outstanding work by media organizations and journalists from the Americas, including, for the first time, a category dedicated to journalism with an equality perspective.
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.
