"Martha Ramos, president of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), presented her report on the state of press freedom in the region, warning of a sustained regression marked by an increasing authoritarian reconfiguration from those in power. The document highlights systematic violations such as prior censorship, restrictions on access to information and the use of the judicial system to silence critical voices. It also underscores an increasingly hostile digital environment, characterized by cyber surveillance, smear campaigns and state-driven disinformation, along with the persistent stigmatization of journalists by political leaders.
In this context, Ramos explained, practices such as judicial harassment, manipulation of official advertising and an increase in physical violence against journalists are becoming more entrenched, in a region where impunity remains the norm. Murders, exile and forced displacement, media closures and legal restrictions reflect a widespread deterioration of the environment for journalistic practice.
In response to this situation, the IAPA urged States to end impunity, stop the misuse of judicial mechanisms against the press, ensure transparency in the allocation of public resources, protect the confidentiality of sources and put an end to hostile rhetoric against journalism."
