Dominican Society of Newspapers backs Listín Diario and warns about risks of digital censorship

SANTO DOMINGO. – The president of the Dominican Society of Newspapers, Inc. (SDD), Persio Maldonado, expressed this Friday his firm support for the newspaper Listín Diario, in the face of what he described as an attempt at censorship by the international platform Network Solutions, which seeks to force the exclusion of truthful information published by the media.

Maldonado considered that this action represents a new effort to manipulate public opinion and erase part of the history built through journalistic work based on official sources and legitimate coverage. “It is something that has been growing and to which it is necessary to confront with seriousness,” he emphasized.

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He warned about the dangers of these attempts to conceal information, pointing out that they can lend themselves to manipulations through algorithms that distort access to the truth on social media. In that sense, he highlighted that democracies such as the 27 countries of the European Union, as well as Australia, Canada, and Latin American nations —in coordination with the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA)— have begun to respond to this phenomenon.

“Accepting the policies of digital platforms without question as universal norms is equivalent to renouncing national legislations and sovereignty,” warned the director of the newspaper El Nuevo Diario.

Maldonado recalled that both the TC/0171/20 ruling of the Dominican Constitutional Court, and Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights, clearly establish the legal frameworks for freedom of expression and the right to information.

Finally, he affirmed that the Dominican Republic has a valuable opportunity to debate, in depth, the effects of these policies on democracy, freedom of the press, and the exercise of free and responsible journalism.