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Gabo Foundation, founding partner of the Center for Media Integrity of the Americas, promoted by the OAS
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, launched on Tuesday, June 7, the Center for Media Integrity in the Americas, a new hub funded by voluntary donations to promote and support the practice of independent journalism without connection to external interests, as well as the production of content for social networks in the Americas.
In its first steps, the Center's core activities will include recurring journalism and social media seminars for traditional and new media creators, implemented by the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, as well as an annual awards program hosted by the OAS Secretary General.
The Washington Post and Fundación Gabo, based in Cartagena, Colombia, are also founding partners of the Center, serving on the Advisory Council and acting as convening centers, possibly hosting future activities.
In subsequent steps, the Center will promote other initiatives that recognize and support rigorous fact-based journalism and the dissemination of information on social media. The Center will also seek to expand its network of alliances with journalists, the media, academic institutions, and NGOs throughout the American continent that share the same values and objectives.
OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said: "It is essential for the sustainability of any democracy that citizens have relevant and objective information to make the best possible decisions. That right is being openly challenged by malicious actors who misuse the multiple communication technologies currently at our disposal to spread disinformation and intentionally misinformation, to advance their interests at any cost. This threatens democracy in all of our countries. Today we launch this Center for Media Integrity to support the right to information from those citizens and we invite all potential partners from the Americas to join us in this effort."
A Board of Directors will oversee the Center's fundraising activities, while a separate and independent Advisory Council will develop the awards program and help structure and support the seminary curriculum. Jon Lee Anderson and Natalia Viana, members of the Governing Council of the Gabo Foundation, as well as Jaime Abello, general director of this institution, are some of the 28 members of this body. The full composition of the current Board of Advisors is available here.
The Center is launched as a project of the OAS General Secretariat, to become an independent non-profit organization. The objectives and values of the Center are intrinsically related to the fundamental mandates of the OAS, such as the support and defense of democracy and human rights in the Americas, as reflected in the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter. of the OAS.
The first Executive Director of the Center will be the former United States Ambassador to Panama, John Feeley.
With information from the Organization of American States.