Panama Hosts Seminar to Strengthen Journalists' Unity

Over seven decades of intense activity, it has maintained and expanded ties with the Latin American and Caribbean labor movement. Alberto Velásquez during his documented presentation. By David Carrasco, Director of Bayano digital. With a call to strengthen the unity of journalists' unions, a seminar for reaffirming academic standards for social communicators grappling with digital and global challenges was inaugurated on Monday, January 26, in the city of Panama. The event, inaugurated by the general secretary of the Panama Journalists' Union, Gilberto Gómez, paid collective tribute to the memory of the late journalist José Manuel Contreras, who paved the way for the studious youth and the shapers of public opinion in this country. During the annual training seminar, journalists Grisel Bethancourt and Gilberto Velásquez highlighted the importance of strengthening the union and all its chapters as the best possible way to defend labor rights, historical achievements, the quality of life, and the future of social communicators. In his dissertation, Velásquez presented a chronological summary of the main political and social events, such as the struggle for national sovereignty, in which outstanding Panamanian journalists—typographers, cameramen, photographers, reporters of popular causes, and creators of alternative media—played a prominent role. Meanwhile, Bethancourt emphasized the need to train new and resilient generations in the ethical foundations of the organization to overcome the resistance of the private sector, which obstructs or limits the presence of unions in the workplace. The lecturer pointed out that well-structured unions dignify informational and professional work and help protect writers from potential employer abuses, arbitrary lawsuits, and unacceptable forms of managerial coercion. The three-day seminar covered various programmatic aspects, such as the current regime for social communicators and Law 462, the union introduction to journalism, and Ethics in the development of information and its content. It also opened the debate on thematically relevant issues, such as Panamanian journalism in the face of disinformation and digital transformation, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism, against the overwhelming digital challenges. In 2026, the Panama Journalists' Union will celebrate 77 years of its foundation. Its current headquarters is located in the reverted areas of the former Canal Zone, on the same road leading to the facilities of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ). Founders of the Panama Journalists' Union.