The press from the Americas begins to gather in the Dominican Republic.
Miami (October 14, 2025 ) Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, is beginning to welcome the leaders of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and special guests attending the organization’s 81st General Assembly, taking place this week from October 16 to 19. The gathering will open four days of debate, reflection, and proposals on the future of journalism in the Americas.
The meeting will bring together publishers, journalists, and media executives from across the continent to reflect on the major challenges facing contemporary journalism, with a particular focus on press freedom, media sustainability, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the profession.
The opening ceremony, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, October 16, will feature remarks by Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, and Laura Gil, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), alongside IAPA President José Roberto Dutriz, CEO and Director General of La Prensa Gráfica of El Salvador. The event will take place at The Westin Punta Cana Resort & Club, the official venue of the Assembly.
The event will take place at The Westin Punta Cana Resort & Club, the official venue for the Assembly. The program is available at this link.
Over the course of four days, reports on the state of press freedom in 24 countries of the region will be presented and debated, along with panels and workshops on innovation, digital transformation, business models, and the role of the press in democracy.
As is tradition, the Assembly will conclude with the presentation of the 2025 IAPA Excellence in Journalism Awards and institutional honors:
· Grand Prize Chapultepec: Thomson Reuters Foundation.
· Grand Prize for Press Freedom: Daniel Coronell, President of Univisión Noticias.
· Friend of the Press Award: Redacciones5G.
· Executive of the Year Award: René Picado Cozza, President of Teletica, Costa Rica.
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.