Guyana-born Caribbean journalist Rickey Singh journalism initiative launched

Last Updated on Friday, 26 June 2026, 21:14 by Writer

Washington, D.C.—The Special Rapporteurship on Freedom of Expression (SRFOE) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) launched the Rickey Singh Initiative for Excellence in Journalism in the Americas this week, with the aim of promoting a hemispheric dialogue focused on strengthening the quality, credibility, independence, and social responsibility of journalism, from the perspective of freedom of expression and human rights.

The initiative pays tribute to the legacy of Caribbean journalist Rickey Singh (1937–2025), whose career was marked by his commitment to independent journalism, public debate, and the inclusion of Caribbean voices in regional discussions on democracy and human rights.

The launch took place in Panama City, on the sidelines of the 56th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), as part of a high-level meeting that brought together journalists, media representatives, and specialized civil society organizations from different subregions of the Americas.

The event included remarks by Special Rapporteur Pedro Vaca, speeches by European Union Ambassador to Panama Izabela Matusz, and Sweden’s Ambassador Pontus Rosenberg, a reflection on the life and legacy of Rickey Singh by former IACHR Commissioner and President Roberta Clarke, and a roundtable discussion with nearly 30 journalists, editors, media executives, and representatives of specialized organizations from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Peru, Venezuela, and Honduras.

The dialogue sparked a collective reflection on the contemporary challenges facing journalism, including digital transformation, the economic sustainability of the media, polarization, the loss of public trust, and violence and harassment against journalists. It also provided an opportunity to address professional standards, diversity, editorial independence, public accountability, and self-regulatory mechanisms compatible with freedom of expression.

The Special Rapporteur’s Office has noted with concern that, in various contexts across the region, debates on journalistic quality have led to regulatory proposals that could pose risks to press freedom. In response, the Rickey Singh Initiative promotes an alternative approach based on professional reflection, editorial transparency, best practices, accountability, and dialogue among journalists, media outlets, academia, civil society, and human rights actors.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur thanked Particip and its project “Support for Independent Journalism and the Fight Against Disinformation,” funded by the European Union, for making the meeting possible.

The Special Rapporteur’s Office emphasizes that quality journalism is essential to democratic life, as it informs public debate, holds those in power accountable, gives voice to diverse perspectives, and ensures that people can make informed decisions on matters of public interest. At the same time, it emphasizes that the current challenges facing journalism should not be addressed through state controls or restrictive frameworks, but rather through processes driven by the profession itself, based on the principles of independence, pluralism, transparency, and social responsibility.

The Rickey Singh Initiative for Journalistic Excellence in the Americas is, in turn, part of a broader line of work by the Special Rapporteur on the challenges and opportunities for promoting equality and combating discrimination in the journalistic and media environment. In this regard, it builds on the exchanges initiated in May 2024 in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, on preventing discriminatory discourse in the media.

The Initiative will seek to build on these efforts through ongoing discussions, the promotion of a network for exchange among participants, and the consolidation of voluntary principles that can serve as a reference for journalists, media outlets, and organizations in the region.

The Special Rapporteur’s Office reaffirms its commitment to promoting a free, pluralistic, safe, and supportive environment for the practice of journalism in the Americas, as well as to strengthening professional practices that contribute to public trust, democratic deliberation, and the enforcement of human rights.

The Special Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression (SRFOE) is an office created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to promote the hemispheric defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression, given its fundamental role in the consolidation and development of the democratic system.