The Diplomat
The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, on Thursday urged journalists to fight for the truth and against disinformation, during her speech at the closing ceremony of the 6th International Congress of CELAC-EU Media Editors, held in the Spanish capital from 7 to 9 February.
Ayuso told the congress participants that, as a journalist, she will always fight for freedom of expression, because “the role of the press is fundamental, especially when journalists are being persecuted in many parts of the world”. “There is nothing freer than journalism and choosing how to do things every day, because freedom is the most important thing in difficult times,” she said.
Previously, the President of Madrid presented personalised engravings by the painter José María Barreiros to Rita Vásquez, director of Diario La Prensa in Panama; Claudia Benavente, director of La Razón in Bolivia; Fernando Quijano, director of La República in Colombia; Ernesto Cortés, general editor of El Tiempo in Colombia; and Pedro Araujo, executive editor of Jornal de Noticias in Portugal, as a tribute to their work and dedication.
Jesús González Mateos, director of the Prestomedia Group, also presented Díaz Ayuso with an engraving in recognition of his work and his efforts to build a Madrid for all.
Along with the fifty or so journalists from the European Union and Latin American media who took part in the Congress, the closing ceremony was attended, among other personalities, by María Andrés, Director of the European Parliament’s office in Spain; Antonio Gutiérrez Limones, Vice-President of the Assembly of the Council of Europe; and Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, Ambassador-at-Large for Hybrid Threats and Cybersecurity.
Previously, the publishers had signed the Madrid Declaration, which will be delivered to the Commission and the European Parliament, and which includes the debates held at the Congress, which was organised by Grupo Prestomedia, with the collaboration of the Community of Madrid and with Prensa Ibérica as host media. In addition, the sessions were supported by the Commission and the European Parliament, Iberia and Telefónica, and with the collaboration of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and Casa de América.
The last of these sessions, held at the Real Coliseo Carlos III in El Escorial, addressed the adoption of artificial intelligence in the media. The debates highlighted the fact that artificial intelligence is here to stay and that it can help to improve and make media websites easier and more visual, although the media must not forget that they must offer quality information.
The congress participants also agreed that new technologies can scare and misinform, but also help in the fight against trolls and false information and to bring the real media closer to the population.
