The Latin American fact-checking network LatamChequea condemns the attacks on Ecuadorian fact-checkers and calls for the protection of independent and transparent fact-checking.
The Latin American fact-checking network, LatamChequea, expresses particular concern over attacks, harassment, and digital violence against fact-checkers from Ecuador Chequea and Lupa Media, members of LatamChequea, amid restrictions on press freedom in Ecuador.
According to the latest 2026 report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Ecuador was the second country in the world and the first in Latin America where press freedom declined the most over the past year, ranking 125th out of 180 nations analyzed. Following the 2025 murders of Darwin Baque and Patricio Aguilar, the organization warned in early 2026 of an escalation of death threats against journalists and criticized not only the authorities’ failure to protect the press but also their efforts to restrict it.
In this context, the digital attacks that independent fact-checkers have faced in recent weeks are yet another sign of the climate of harassment evident in Ecuador and various Latin American countries against independent fact-checking organizations, which play a fundamental role in the fight against misinformation and in promoting accountability.
LatamChequea also emphasizes the importance of transparency in independent fact-checking initiatives, particularly regarding their methods, editorial teams, and funding. For years, we have observed in the region the emergence of so-called fact-checking initiatives that do not publish their methodology, exhibit bias in their publications, and lack transparency regarding their editorial teams or funding—a phenomenon also occurring in Ecuador. In some cases, these initiatives are even directly promoted by governments.
Such projects, which seek to exploit the trust audiences place in fact-checking media, ultimately undermine the work of independent fact-checkers. By appropriating formats, labels, and ratings associated with fact-checking without meeting basic standards of transparency, independence, and methodological rigor, they contribute to degrading the public value of fact-checking and trivializing a fundamental tool for informed democratic debate.
Fact-checking journalism is essential to sustaining the quality of democracies in our region. As a network of fact-checkers, we reiterate that to uphold the human right to information, independent fact-checkers must be able to carry out their work freely.
Leave a Reply