Los Angeles, 9 June 2022 (TDI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the Media Summit of the Americas and discussed the future of media freedom with Cronkite School journalism students.
The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is one of Arizona State University’s 24 autonomous schools.
The Cronkite School, in collaboration with the US State Department, has co-sponsored the Media Summit of the Americas.
Meanwhile, the event brings together policymakers, government officials, and accredited media as part of the week-long Summit.
Addressed the Media Summit of the Americas and spoke with journalism students from @Cronkite_ASU about the future of media freedom. I underscored the U.S. commitment to a safe and free press in the Americas and globally. #SummitAmericas pic.twitter.com/3UNpFCt7Qg
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 8, 2022
Leading experts and keynote speakers from Latin America and the United States, including US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, talked at the conference about the critical issues the information environment faces in the hemisphere.
He highlighted that with the threat of disinformation and misinformation dominating social media streams and journalists facing persecution, violence, and mistrust, global media viability is in threat today more than ever.
According to Juan Mundel, head of Global Initiatives at the Cronkite School, in addition to fact-based reporting, press freedom and media literacy are critical to a strong and vibrant democracy.
Moreover, strategic collaborations and cross-national collaboration efforts, such as the Media Summit of the Americas, are important in the fight against misinformation, according to Mundel. “By collaborating, we will be able to put our global objective into action.”
In addition, media representatives and journalists from all over the Americas participated in the Summit.
Summit of the Americas
Summit of the Americas is a regional international summit organized under the Organization of American States since 1994.
The Summit is a unique possibility to work with international leaders in the region for tackling the demanding contemporary situations.
The leaders will discuss continental challenges and ways to overcome them. Likewise, the scope of the 9th Summit spans various issues such as media freedom, climate change, migration, and many others.
Moreover, as the hemispheric assembly of leaders from the nations of the Americas, the Summit serves as the most crucial discussion forum to address the region’s common challenges and opportunities.
