PL President Luis Enrique Gonzalez made this statement in a speech via video conference from Cuba, after Prensa Latina was elected a member of the Council of the Belt and Road News Network, a media cooperation mechanism created in China at the proposal of President Xi Jinping.

Gonzalez expressed gratitude for the inclusion of Prensa Latina in this initiative, said that it must have a strategic role in fostering collaboration in this sector, and highlighted its importance in the search for balance in the dissemination of news globally.

The PL president noted that the Council met amid complex and concerning times with huge challenges for the work, sustainability, and credibility of media outlets, after years of pandemic and deep crisis, which have had an impact on the development and the scope of these institutions.

He favored boosting alliances, working in networks, sharing precise and certified information in order to prevent misinformation and fake news, and encouraging contact among people, as they are the ones who most need objective news.

“We, the media outlets participating in this forum, have to become promoters of reality, the culture of our countries and peoples, seeking an exchange among peers, with respect, without impositions, with the information that our audiences need as our best instrument,” he said.

Gonzalez called on them to be civilized bridges and achieve deeper connectivity, forge synergies in priority areas and meet the needs of media outlets from all countries.

On the other hand, Gonzalez briefly spoke about the experience of Prensa Latina, which expanded the communication offers to its audiences by establishing alliances with over 100 media outlets in the world, including China’s Xinhua and the People’s Daily.

He recalled that Prensa Latina is the main Latin American news agency and has supported the exchange of reports, the use of technologies, digital platforms, and social media with objectivity, devoted to truth and for the benefit of the development of people, from information and culture.

“Above the economic difficulties, the inhumane blockade of the United States against Cuba, which prevents Prensa Latina from achieving its technological development and operating in its correspondent offices in 40 countries, our news agency has its modest experience, as it was founded more than 63 years ago amid an emergency to defend the truthful information from an emerging Revolution,” Gonzalez added.

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