International Day of Sports Journalists: Almost a century of defending our independence and investing in culture, our journey continues

Today begins the year-long journey that leads us to our centennial. Ninety-nine years ago a group of colleagues had the brilliant idea of creating AIPS.

They had seen the future of our profession and had created the association to protect its rights.

Their work was outstanding. Now we have the duty to continue to follow the path they have indicated.

DIFFICULT TIMES

The world is experiencing difficult times right now: the war in Ukraine, tensions and armed clashes in various parts of the continents, drought, climate change.

Sport is not free from negative influences and for this reason it is our duty to unite to face difficulties and defend our independence.

Sport was born to bring people together, because it uses a common language and rules all over the world and is intergenerational.

INDEPENDENCE

We, with our constructive criticism, must defend its rules and its integrity, because sport is culture as it brings people and different generations together.

Our independence is a fundamental asset and at this moment among the many cases in the world we choose to ask for the release of Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two young Iranian colleagues, who have been in prison for months because they committed the “crime” of honestly doing their job.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Now the time has come for AI, artificial intelligence, which some consider a useful and positive digital tool. I, personally, am not of this opinion.

Artificial Intelligence can fight, as some claim, fake news, but above all it can create fake news quickly or generate images that have nothing to do with reality, but seem perfect and real.

The public is fragile and therefore Artificial Intelligence, if left unchecked, can do more damage than a war or a pandemic.

INVESTMENT IN CULTURE

For this reason, we will continue on the path of investment in culture with the extraordinary programmes dedicated to Young Reporters and with the AIPS Sport Media Awards, which are enjoying great success. These are our weapons with which we try to fight ignorance, which is the biggest threat to sport.

If we are united in the battle to defend the culture of our profession, we will be able to deliver to the next generations of journalists a better future and not a ghetto to live in, without freedom of ideas, which are fundamental in sport.

Following these words, I present to you some images of our almost century-old history and of our initiatives.

Credit: AIPS