Cartagena, in Colombia, last week hosted the 8th Congress of Editors of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean. The event brought together vehicle journalists from 17 countries – the only Brazilian medium with representative was Folha – Colombian politicians and business executives.
The two main axes of debate were the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism and economic relations between Latin America and Europe.
The final statement of Congress requested that the development of artificial intelligence respects the copyright of journalism.
“We propose to implement measures to protect recently published digital news content so that they are not used for the purpose of training and contribution of Generative AI for a defined period (48 hours) after its initial publication,” the text says.
The document also demands that professionals in the area have their performance protected from threats to freedom of expression.
Read below the full conclusion of the event
Declaration of Cartagena of the Indies
Congress of editors of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean
Cartagena das Indias, March 19, 2025
The 8th Congress of Editors of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean notes a time of profound transformation and a cultural, social and economic revolution, of unpredictable consequences, which requires a close and flexible attitude on the part of the media.
– We reaffirm that information is an inalienable right of all people, an indispensable instrument to ensure democracy and, with it, freedom, equality, culture, sciences, peaceful coexistence and development. It is essential in denouncing violence, wars, invasions, powers that cause ideological persecution, dictatorships in general, and mafias and particular terrorism, as well as in defense against the pressures of the actors of the economy that, with their power, condition journalistic content.
– Congressmen request the protection of journalists in the exercise of their profession to ensure the right to responsible information of citizens, far from hatred and discrimination discourses. In a global world, the value of the journalist’s role as the most able professional to channel information, submitted to their demanding deontological codes and social commitment to the common good, is accentuated. Among so many passionate challenges and changes, journalism must continue to play its essential role as a reference, as a legate of fundamental values reflected in the declaration of human rights, and that in their intellectual honesty should protect their sources, not tolerate censorship or give in to pressures, whatever nature they are. You should guide the work of the journalist, inquire, pursue, oversee all power and seek clarity in his exposure.
– The reunited show their total solidarity with each citizen affected by the abuses of power and especially with the colleagues and means that do their work in the places of conflict. They also support all journalists and technicians who offer their lives for the truth, or are victims of censorship, persecution, threats or prison by the powers.
– It is necessary to respond with competence to the predictable exponential advancement of technologies such as the so -called Artificial Intelligence – it is necessary to promote more rigorous regulations in areas such as deepfakes (use of image, video and media play audio) and the algorithms of recommendation, as well as respect for copyright – and the eruption, in parallel, of supranational economic macropowers. This section alludes to all technical support systems to come.
– We propose to implement measures to protect recently published digital news content so that they are not used for the purpose of training and contribution of Generative AI for a defined period (48 hours) after its initial publication.
– We require granting the proper remuneration of the General AI providers for the use of their content.
– The burden of proof should be transferred to AI providers to demonstrate the legal use of the contents.
– We request to renew legal permissions so that Generative AI providers use the site content for text and data mining purposes, ensuring voluntary exclusion mechanisms required without affecting search engines indexing.
– AI providers must be considered responsible for their production.
– We claim the need for “FACT CHECK” systems to verify sources as a basic guarantee for the exercise of the right to information.
– Editors recognize the fundamental role of journalists’ formation and preparation in the ethical and responsible use of AI.
– We demand the application of the same criminal law of opinion offenses to social networks platforms, as they exercise the same social responsibility as the media.
– We undertake to denounce all interference from national legislators and supranational bodies in editorial autonomy that endangers the independence and diversity of information. The right to define, maintain, change and tend to a publication is a consequence of protected press freedom.
-We undertake to control the transparent allocation of state advertising, which should not be used due to political preferences, but, above all, based on recognized professional standards of impartial reach of the target audience.
– We are aware that we should reposition ourselves as industry and as a profession. We must find the means to obtain transparent and sufficient resources to support us, to support the essential technification, to pay investigations, or to ensure our defense in the courts in the face of unjust attacks.
– We must respond to the truth with more and better journalism. We must respond with free media, with initiatives such as Editored, this support and freedom glue that unites us undefeutably in a commitment of support and unity of action.
– We recognize the need to rely on the authorities, the development of non -imposing regulations; the promotion of participatory professional associations and agreements; of fair companies that boost the circular economy, respect for the environment and, very fundamentally, the commitment to gender equality; We should help entrepreneurs, new generations of informators, social marginalized, the weaker.
– More than ever, it is up to us to play our role before governments that presuppose in a mixture of populism, xenophobia and magical thinking, undemocratic or extremists. In a Euro-American context, it is very much to meet the change in international relations, valuing the Western civilization that represent the European Union and Latin America Caribbean in the defense of human rights and democracy. This Declaration of Cartagena of Indies underlines the need for a proactive and collaborative response to the challenges of the current global environment. In the seven previous editions of Congress, we invest our main efforts in a program willing to moral and social advancement towards understandable, shared, this must remain our purpose, as this will make us freer. Journalists are in a single war, the truth, we are struggling for decency and democracy, and the only proper answer is to be stronger every day in our work, we must therefore oppose intolerance and hatred, and remain firm against violence, repression and abuse of power. Our weapons are the words, our local cultures our greatest treasure. Very uniquely, we commit to defending the Castilian or Spanish language, also Portuguese, as the media are the main channels of its diffusion and promotion worldwide. Therefore, we force ourselves to ensure the correction and good use of both languages, their various dialectal varieties and the rest of the Ibero-American languages, favoring their accessibility and providing that they become a key tool to combat misinformation. Idealism, commitment, determination and courage are our main strategy and together we feel stronger to defend it.
