The Latin American fact-checking network LatamChequea launched an exchange program between its organizations. Ten journalists, editors, directors, and education specialists from eight countries in the region will do two- to three-week internships at other organizations in the network with the goal of deepening alliances between fact-checking media outlets in the region, sharing lessons learned, and generating products that serve the entire community.
Of the 23 applications received, the LatamChequea Council selected 10 proposals that will work on projects related to artificial intelligence, media and information literacy, influence operations, and specific topics on which there is a lot of disinformation, such as elections, climate, migration, and gender.
This program is part of the project “Promoting reliable information and fighting disinformation in Latin America,” coordinated by Chequeado at the regional level and funded by the European Union. Thanks to this initiative, in addition to exchanges, the network is deepening its collaboration on key issues such as education, innovation, and sustainability, holding face-to-face meetings and producing various reports on disinformation circulating in the region, the state of disinformation regulation in the region, and a mapping of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) initiatives in LatamChequea organizations.
The 10 selected participants are:
- Pedro de Souza Prata from Estadão Verifica (Brazil) will travel to El Surti (Paraguay) with a project on climate disinformation ahead of COP30 to be held in Brazil.
- David Bolaños Acuña from Doble Check (Costa Rica) will go to Chequeado (Argentina) during the election period to work on influence operations.
- Julián Santiago Amaya Barrantes from La Silla Vacía (Colombia) will visit Aos Fatos (Brazil) with a project on artificial intelligence.
- Carolina Bazante from Lupa Media (Ecuador) will travel to the offices of Newtral (Spain) to work on disinformation related to migration.
- Victor Terra from Lupa (Brazil) will visit the offices of Chequeado (Argentina) to work on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) projects.
- Valeria Faúndez from Mala Espina Check (Chile) will visit Verificado MX (Mexico) and work on sexist disinformation, gender violence, and hate speech.
- Juan Sebastián Lozada Sepúlveda from Colombiacheck (Colombia) will go to Newtral (Spain) to work on artificial intelligence.
- Blanca Medina Viezca from Verificado Mx (Mexico) will visit Chequeado (Argentina) to study best practices for setting up an education department in fact-checking organizations.
- Josué Congo from El Surti (Paraguay) will visit La Silla Vacía (Colombia) with a project on pre-election candidate debates.
- A Venezuelan journalist also won a scholarship, but for security reasons, his name and the organization he belongs to will not be disclosed.
Congratulations to all the winning fact-checkers and media outlets!
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