Participants praised the work of the Latin American News Agency Prensa Latina, a pioneer media outlet in the region in the promotion of the Global South’s fight against misinformation, manipulation and fake news.
The opening day of the meeting was attended by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who stated that the event was of special importance because it was organized by the prestigious news agency that has accompanied the Revolution for more than six decades.
Due to its ethical performance and “being a source of light for present and future generations of journalists,” Prensa Latina deserved recognition from the Hispanic-American Press Congress (HAPC), which was underscored during the meeting.
HAPC President Amín Cruz acknowledged Prensa Latina’s work for 65 years, for not giving up in its defense of truth.
The director of the Press Service of Algeria, Samir Gaid, praised the work of the news agency, whose exercise raises loudly the voice of Cuba, a country that remains firmly resisting.
The director called for closer collaboration between alternative and counter-hegemonic media organizations to address the issues adequately as required by the countries, and underscored the active role that Prensa Latina can play in that objective.
The representation of TV Brics at the meeting pointed out that Prensa Latina, with headquarters in Havana, is one of its main sources of information because its dispatches are very reliable and powerful.
Former Belizean Foreign Minister Godfrey Smith noted Prensa Latina’s work in the fight against cultural colonization in the region.
In the opinion of the director of the Bayano Digital alternative newspaper, Panamanian journalist David Carrasco, Prensa Latina and its resistance against all kinds of obstacles during its 65 years of existence is a great example for the world.
He stressed that the news agency was successful in showing that it is possible to develop unitary projects in favor of the people’s hopes by generating truthful, effective and high-impact information.
From Washington, US activist Rosemarie Mealy, a friend of Cuba, described it in a few words: “PL is so necessary!”
She considered that Prensa Latina’s dedicated journalists and workers have been an inspiration to many, particularly in the United States, to break the information blockade imposed on Cuba.
During the debate, participants agreed on the relevance of carrying out a permanent crusade against misinformation, fake news or others that seek to justify the outrages committed against the peoples who fight to win or maintain their sovereignty.
In January 1959, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, called the largest press conference in the world in Havana to denounce the early hostile campaigns against the triumphant political process.
The New Operation Truth international conference commemorated that event, with debates tempered with current times marked by misinformation, fake news, inequality, hegemony and dizzying technological development.
Faced with these enormous challenges, Prensa Latina expressed its commitment, from its modest resources, to coordinate and promote media initiatives to defend the realities of oppressed peoples.
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