The midyear meeting of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) held in Panama March 11-14 concluded with mixed opinions of the general state of the press in the Americas. The presidents of several countries were, notably Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, who looks to control radio and TV broadcasts, and Fidel Castro, who currently holds 23 journalists in jail, were cited for impeding freedom of the press in their respective countries. The IAPA highlighted cases in the United States of journalists who have been threatened with jail time if they don't reveal their sources and the "payola" scandals. On the other hand, some countries were praised for advancements in journalistic freedom such as Colombia, whose President Alvaro Uribe declared his commitment to a free press and Brazil who has taken measures to make attacks against journalists a federal crime. Much of the region remains dangerous for journalists, five of which have been killed in the past six months. Although journalists are more or less free by the statutes of most governments, the IAPA will continue its struggle to provide them with more protection.

Source: IAPA through the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas