The overall average of freedom of the press in the Americas fell to its lowest level, according to a continental measurement by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), released on Friday.
The countries experienced a decrease below 50 points in the Chapultepec Index, a measurement of 100 variables of press and expression freedoms prepared by the IAPA, which indicated that It is the first time that the global average of the region is only 47.84 points out of a total of 100 possible points.
According to the organization, the frequent threats to the life and safety of journalists are the reasons that stand out the most and one of the greatest concerns expressed this year at the 79th IAPA Annual Assembly that concludes this Sunday, together with the increase in attacks on media facilities and their workers.
Most of these threats tend to generate self-censorshipwhich is detrimental to democracy and diminishes the exercise of one of the main citizens’ rights, which is to express oneself freely.
The situation of the barometer shows the constant regressions to the detriment of communication rights in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cubarated as nations without freedom of press or expressionas well as pronounced trends of deterioration of these freedoms in Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia and Guatemala.
Some nations that show significant declines in the Chapultepec Index are Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, and Ecuador. Of these, Costa Rica remained in the low restriction range.
Despite accumulating scores that place them in the “low restriction” range, the following nations worsened in their performance: Jamaica, Uruguay, Panama, United States and Canadawhich was evidenced in the low score of the entire region.
Few countries show significant progress this year. One of them is the Dominican Republic, the only one that is located in the group of nations with broad freedoms of expression. by slightly exceeding 80 points.
Brazil showed a slight improvement, but still not enough to exceed 50 points.
Freedom of the press in the United States
In this area of protections and restrictions, The link, not always harmonious, between governments and the press stands out.
In its latest report, the IAPA criticizes the limited access of the media to the president of the United States, Joe Biden, and the “anti-press” rhetoric of former president Donald Trump, favorite in the Republican primaries for the next elections.
The IAPA criticizes the fact that the Democratic president usually gives televised speeches “but frequently avoids answering questions” from journalists and during his trip to Ireland earlier this year he broke with the tradition of holding press conferences abroad.
However, he highlights that White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre continues to hold daily press briefings, a practice that “was suspended for more than a year during the Trump administration.”
The report also warns of the risk of “anti-press rhetoric from candidates” increasing as the 2024 presidential election approaches, citing in particular the case of Trump, who “has a history of expressing hostility toward members of the press.” .
According to the IAPA, the Republican candidate “has repeatedly called for opening up defamation laws to make it easier for public figures to sue the media for defamation.”
Local journalists from small media outlets are the most vulnerable to these types of demands. due to the high cost of litigation, the report said, citing the raid in August of the offices of the Marion County Record, a small newspaper in Kansas, following a “baseless” accusation by a businesswoman.
The organization has accounted 19 attacks on journalists since last April in the United Statesamong them the attempt by the mayor of Miami, Francis Suárez, to snatch the phone from a journalist who questioned him in September.
It also notes the arrest this year in Russia of American reporter Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, accused of “espionage charges.”
The Chapultepec Index 2023, presented during the second day of sessions at the 79th IAPA General Assembly, it is prepared in alliance with the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB) and includes the participation of academics in the areas of freedom of expression and of the press, methodology and statistics.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas.
With information from EFE
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