The SIP General Assembly begins with a call to strengthen freedom of expression

PUNTA CANA. – With the participation of the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, the 81st General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) began, which is being held from this Thursday until Sunday at The Westin Punta Cana Resort & Club hotel. The inaugural act was presided over by the Head of State and was attended by the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Laura Gil; the president of the SIP, José Roberto Dutriz, general director; and Persio Maldonado, director of El Nuevo Diario and president of the Host Committee, who was in charge of the introductory words.

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With this opening, four days of debate, reflection, and proposals on the future of journalism in the Americas began. The agenda includes the presentation and discussion of reports on the state of press freedom in the 24 countries of the region, as well as panels and workshops dedicated to innovation, digital transformation, new business models, and the role of the media in defending democracy. The meeting brings together editors, journalists, and media executives from across the continent to analyze the major challenges of contemporary journalism, with special attention to freedom of the press, the sustainability of the media, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the profession. As is tradition, the closing of the Assembly will be held with the presentation of the SIP Awards for Journalistic Excellence 2025 and institutional recognitions. In this edition, the “Gran Premio Chapultepec” will be awarded to the Thomson Reuters Foundation; the “Gran Premio a la Libertad de Prensa” to Daniel Coronell, president of Univision Noticias; the “Gran Amigo de la Prensa” plaque to Redacciones5G; and the “Ejecutivo del Año” to René Picado Cozza, president of Teletica, Costa Rica. Thursday’s session also included a special presentation by journalist Jon Lee Anderson, from The New York Times, in conversation with Gabriela Vivanco, president of the Executive Committee of the SIP and director of the newspaper La Hora, from Ecuador. The program concluded with a welcome cocktail offered at the residence of Frank Rainieri, president of the Puntacana Group. The SIP, headquartered in Miami, Florida, groups more than 1,300 media outlets from the Western Hemisphere and maintains as its main mission the defense and promotion of freedom of the press and expression in the Americas.