Inter-American Press Association
Encyclopedia
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA; Spanish
: Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa, SIP) is a press advocacy group representing media organizations in North America
, South America
and the Caribbean
. Founded in 1943, it represents more than 1,300 newspapers and magazines in the Americas
. IAPA's stated objectives are to defend press freedom; protect the interests of the press
in the Americas; promote responsible journalism
; and encourage high standards of professional and business conduct.
IAPA has two autonomous affiliates – the IAPA Press Institute, which offers Latin American members advice on technical publishing matters, and the IAPA Scholarship Fund, which provides funds for educational activities.
IAPA is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange
, a global network of more than 70 non-governmental organisations that monitors press freedom and freedom of expression violations worldwide.
It has been criticized by many Latin American journalists' trade unions, who claim that it only represents the owners of the large media corporations, that it does not seem to defend journalists themselves, and that it is closely related to right-wing parties.
In 1977 it was reported that IAPA was funded by the CIA.
In 2000 the IAPA inaugurated a new headquarters building, which it named after Jules Dubois
, who was Chairman of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information for 15 years (1950-1965).
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa, SIP) is a press advocacy group representing media organizations in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Founded in 1943, it represents more than 1,300 newspapers and magazines in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. IAPA's stated objectives are to defend press freedom; protect the interests of the press
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
in the Americas; promote responsible journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
; and encourage high standards of professional and business conduct.
IAPA has two autonomous affiliates – the IAPA Press Institute, which offers Latin American members advice on technical publishing matters, and the IAPA Scholarship Fund, which provides funds for educational activities.
IAPA is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange
International Freedom of Expression Exchange
The International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
, a global network of more than 70 non-governmental organisations that monitors press freedom and freedom of expression violations worldwide.
It has been criticized by many Latin American journalists' trade unions, who claim that it only represents the owners of the large media corporations, that it does not seem to defend journalists themselves, and that it is closely related to right-wing parties.
History
IAPA was conceived at the first Pan American Congress of Journalists in 1926, with a Permanent Commission established in 1942 after the second Congress. IAPA was founded in 1943, and in 1950 became an organisation fully independent of the region's governments.In 1977 it was reported that IAPA was funded by the CIA.
In 2000 the IAPA inaugurated a new headquarters building, which it named after Jules Dubois
Jules Dubois
Jules Dubois was a Latin America correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and chairman of the Inter-American Press Association's press freedom committee, which he helped to organize in 1951...
, who was Chairman of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information for 15 years (1950-1965).
Presidents
- Luis Franzini, (Uruguay, 1951 - 1952)
- John S. KnightJohn S. KnightJohn Shively Knight was an American newspaper publisher and editor.He was born in Bluefield, West Virginia to Charles Landon Knight and Clara Scheifly. He attended Cornell University but never graduated, leaving early to enlist in the Army. While at Cornell he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa...
, (US, 1952 - 1953), - Andrew HeiskellAndrew HeiskellAndrew Heiskell was chairman and CEO of Time Inc. , and also known for his philanthropy, including for the New York Public Library...
, (US, 1961 - 1962), - Jack R. HowardJack R. HowardJack R. Howard was a broadcasting executive. He was President of The E. W. Scripps Company from 1953 to 1976. He was President of the Inter American Press Association . Howard helped found and served as president of the Scripps Howard Foundation.He was the son of Roy W. Howard, a founder of...
, (US, 1965 - 1966), - Lee HillsLee Hills (journalist)Lee Hills was an editor and publisher of the Miami Herald and the Detroit Free Press. He was the first chairman and CEO of Knight-Ridder Newspapers and president of the Knight Ridder news service after he helped arrange the merger of Knight Newspapers and Ridder Publications; later in life, he...
, (US, 1967 - 1968), - Agustín Edwards, (Chile, 1968 - 1969),
- James S. CopleyJames S. CopleyJames Strohn Copley was a journalist and newspaper publisher. He published the San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune and the San Diego Evening Tribune from 1947 until his death in 1973, and was President of the Inter American Press Association . His politics was "unabashedly conservative,...
(US, 1969 - 1970) - M. F do Nascimento Brito, (Brazil, 1970 - 1971),
- Robert U. Brown, (US, 1971 - 1973),
- Julio de Mesquita Filho, (Brazil, 1974 - 1975),
- Argentina S. Hills (Puerto Rico, 1977 - 1978),
- Charles E. Scripps, (US, 1981 - 1982),
- James B. McClatchyJames B. McClatchyJames B. McClatchy was a journalist and publisher. He was a journalist at McClatchy Company newspapers including The Fresno Bee and The Sacramento Bee. He was publisher of The McClatchy Company from 1987 to 2005, having been chairman since 1980...
(US, 1991 - 1992), - Manuel J. Jiménez (Costa Rica, 1988 - 1989),
- Danilo Arbilla (Uruguay, 2000 - 2001)
- Robert J. Cox, (US, 2001 - 2002),
- Andrés García Gamboa, (Mexico, 2002 - 2003),
- Jack FullerJack FullerJack William Fuller is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who spent nearly forty years working in newspapers. He began his journalism career as a copyboy for the Chicago Tribune. Later he became a police reporter, a war correspondent in Vietnam, and a Washington correspondent...
, (US, 2003 - 2004), - Alejandro Miró Quesada, (Peru, 2004 - 2005),
- Scott C. Schurz, (US, 2005),
- Diana Daniels, (US, 2005 - 2006),
- Rafael Molina MorilloRafael Molina MorilloDr. Rafael Molina Morillo is a lawyer, journalist, diplomat, and newspaper editor from the Dominican Republic. He created Ahora! Publications which publishedEl Nacional newspaper and Ahora! magazine...
, (Dominican Republic, 2006 - 2007), - Earl Maucker (US, 2007 - 2008)
- Andrés García Lavín (Mexico, no dates given),
External links
- Official website
- Campaña Impunidad
- SourcewatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
, Inter American Press Association