With an agenda focused on the main challenges facing the news ecosystem, the regional meeting of LatamChequea -the network that brings together 47 fact-checking organizations from 20 countries- kicked off in Mexico City. During the first day, journalists, experts, fact-checkers, and international leaders shared experiences, tools, and strategies to strengthen collaborative efforts against misinformation.
The evolution of electoral disinformation strategies, the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, the development of new products, and the search for sustainability models for organizations were among the central themes of the discussions, which also included the publication of the Mexico City Declaration.
A Regional Network to Defend Reliable Information
The opening session was led by representatives from La Salle University, Chequeado (Argentina), Grupo Animal Político (Mexico), Verificado (Mexico), and the European Union, who highlighted the importance of strengthening fact-checking journalism, media and information literacy, and innovation as tools to combat disinformation and contribute to stronger democracies.
Mijail Eluani, director of the Mexican School of Architecture, Design, and Communication at La Salle University, welcomed the opportunity to host those who have made fact-checking a daily practice and collaborative work a way to contribute to society. “Nurturing public discourse means nurturing societies and democratic processes. Fact-checking means safeguarding people’s decisions, the trust needed to live together, and the ability to build a more prosperous future,” he said.
For his part, Gerardo Márquez Camacho, president of Grupo Animal Político, warned about the speed at which false content spreads and its impact on electoral decisions—a phenomenon that is intensifying with the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence. “A fact-checker is someone who builds the architecture of truth every day, in an ecosystem that makes money by spreading lies,” he said, calling for close collaboration among fact-checking organizations around the world.
Daniela Mendoza, General director of Verificado, described LatamChequea as “a true ecosystem of radical generosity” and highlighted the network’s value in the face of a climate of harassment against journalism and skepticism toward fact-checking. “When we fact-check together, we are much stronger,” she said.
Meanwhile, Franco Piccato, executive director of Chequeado, put the network’s growth into perspective and emphasized: “We are a movement, we are a network, we are a community. A movement that defends people’s right to be informed and to demand explanations… That is how we build collective power.”
Belén Martínez Carbonell, the European Union’s ambassador to Mexico, also underscored the importance of international cooperation in the face of a phenomenon that knows no borders. She noted that disinformation can be used to manipulate the information landscape, polarize societies, and undermine trust in democratic institutions, and warned that artificial intelligence amplifies both opportunities and risks. “Disinformation knows no borders, and neither should our shared efforts,” she stated.
Elections: What Changed and What Worked as a Strategy Against Disinformation
What false narratives circulated during the region’s most recent electoral processes? Which platforms and formats contained the most misleading content? How did disinformation strategies evolve, and what lessons were learned from fact-checking efforts? These questions guided a panel discussion that brought together representatives from the United States, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia.
The shared experiences showed that, although each country has its own particularities, there are common patterns: unsubstantiated narratives of election fraud, challenges to the legitimacy of voting systems, the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate images and speeches, and the exploitation of elements of credibility to spread false content.
Ana María Carrano, from Factchequeado (United States), noted that during the U.S. elections, narratives about alleged votes cast by immigrants and the use of artificial intelligence to distort candidates’ speeches were particularly widespread. AI-generated images were also circulated that sought to discourage voter turnout by depicting false scenes of police mistreating voters.
Carlos Iavelberg, from UOL (Brazil), described a shift in the disinformation landscape between the first and second rounds of the election. While predictable content predominated in the first round, narratives questioning the electoral system intensified afterward. The impact extended beyond social media: a survey showed that 30% of Brazilians believed the elections had been fraudulent.
From Bolivia, Helga Velasco Unzueta of Bolivia Verifica highlighted the prominent role of TikTok and Facebook, as well as the growth of audiovisual content and content manipulated using artificial intelligence. Among the strategies identified, she mentioned the decontextualization of excerpts from presidential debates and attacks on the electoral tribunal. She also warned about identity theft and the misappropriation of credibility cues to make misleading content more convincing.
Gianella Tapullima, from OjoPúblico (Peru), identified narratives of fraud that had already circulated in other countries and that sought, rather than to favor a particular candidate, to erode trust in the electoral system. Among these, she mentioned unfounded accusations about polling stations allegedly set up in isolated areas to benefit certain political forces.
For her part, Laura Sanabria Rangel of La Silla Vacía (Colombia), who moderated the panel, highlighted the prominence of fake polls and content generated using artificial intelligence. She also described strategies in which some candidates resorted to creative formats, such as jingles and cartoons, to convey messages they did not want to communicate directly.
The discussion highlighted that electoral disinformation is no longer limited to isolated instances or content designed to favor a particular candidate. Increasingly, coordinated strategies are being deployed that aim to undermine trust in institutions, democratic processes, and sources of information. Given this scenario, early monitoring, the exchange of alerts among organizations, and regional collaboration are essential for anticipating narratives and responding more quickly.
What Are We Creating with AI? Products from Network Members
Artificial intelligence also took center stage on the agenda, this time from a practical perspective: learning what organizations in the network are developing and how they are incorporating these technologies into their products and work processes.
The presentations showcased solutions ranging from automated social media monitoring and the detection of verifiable claims in live streams to audience engagement and the development of proprietary infrastructure for securely processing information.
Alex Maldonado, from Ocote (Guatemala), presented Centinela Fáctica, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to analyze public content on Facebook, identify disinformation narratives, and facilitate journalistic investigations. The tool will be particularly useful ahead of the country’s 2027 elections.
From Brazil, Bernardo Moura of Aos Fatos presented “Busca Fatos,” a tool that detects verifiable claims in videos and live streams and cross-references them with the organization’s fact-check database, which already contains more than 20,000 fact-checks. Its implementation led to a 30% increase in the number of fact-checks during the election debates compared to the previous election.
On behalf of Chequeado (Argentina), Dolores Pujol presented Nunchi, an audience intelligence agent that uses AI to monitor and organize the comments that communities leave on the organization’s social media profiles. In September alone, the tool processed more than 12,000 comments.
Ximena Villagrán, from Maldita (Spain), shared an experience focused on developing the organization’s own infrastructure. The organization set up a supercomputer in its offices, using open-source AI models, to automate processes and develop tools without relying on commercial services. This infrastructure also allows the organization to work with sensitive information without having to share personal data with external providers. In addition, she announced the upcoming launch of Alerta Timo, a tool to combat scams.
The experiences shared highlighted that artificial intelligence can expand investigative capabilities, improve productivity, and facilitate the discovery of disinformation networks and patterns. They also demonstrated the importance of developing solutions that protect personal data and preserve organizations’ technological autonomy, while keeping in mind that journalistic judgment and human oversight remain central.
Sustainability: Five Innovative Experiments
The sustainability of fact-checking organizations was another key topic of the conference. Against the backdrop of a transforming media ecosystem and the decline of some traditional funding sources, the panel presented five initiatives that explore alternatives for generating revenue, strengthening communities, and improving internal processes.
Adrián González, from Cazadores de Fake News (Venezuela), presented CFN+, a specialized news initiative focused on disinformation narratives in Venezuela. The product aims to add value to the daily monitoring, fact-checking, and documentation of manipulation techniques already carried out by the organization. The initiative includes a newsletter with three subscription tiers: a free option, a US$5-per-month option, and a US$10 premium option, aimed specifically at journalists and content creators.
Carolina Bazante, from Lupa Media (Ecuador), shared the experience of relaunching “Con Lupa,” the organization’s newsletter. Based on audience studies, they identified that their community valued a relatable and recognizable editorial voice. Therefore, they decided to give it a more personal identity, featuring the signature and personal touch of its director, in addition to automating its distribution and incorporating metrics to track its progress. Although they initially considered moving toward a subscription model, they decided to postpone monetization in order to first strengthen their bond with their readers.
From El Salvador, Francisco Ramón Somada of Voz Pública presented *Informe Realidad País*, a specialized news product that combines political and economic analysis with disinformation monitoring. The initiative arose in response to restrictions on international cooperation funding and a new legal framework affecting organizations in the country. Through a niche membership model, they aim to provide institutions and other stakeholders with the information they need to make decisions, information they don’t always have the time to gather and analyze on their own.
Evelin Mendes, from Lupa (Brazil), presented an automated monitor for funding calls and opportunities, designed to reduce the time the team spends manually searching for funding. The tool allows the search to be systematized, while the team retains the task of evaluating the relevance and validating the identified opportunities.
Finally, Tayli Sánchez, from elTOQUE (Cuba), shared the development of a multichannel advertising inventory manager—a tool that centralizes available ad spaces, direct sales prices, and each client’s history. This enabled them to improve sales management, reduce errors, and free up the team’s time.
Carolina Massa, director of Institutional Development at Chequeado and coordinator of the LatamChequea Sustainability initiative, explained that these experiments are part of an effort to promote innovative alternatives in the face of uncertainty and reduced funding for organizations.
Taken together, the five case studies showed that there is more than one path to achieving sustainability: developing specialized products, building communities, establishing memberships, diversifying revenue streams, and automating processes are some of the possible strategies. Sharing these lessons ensures that organizations do not have to start from scratch and can adapt solutions to their own realities.
Other topics on the agenda: new challenges for information integrity
The first day also included sessions for discussion and reflection on other key challenges facing the information ecosystem:
- Beyond the capital and the screen: how to expand geographic reach and create spaces to engage with audiences.
- How to counter those who (falsely) claim to fact-check.
- Coordinated activities and disinformation campaigns: how to identify, investigate, and counter these operations.
- Climate crisis: how to address the new wave of denialism.
- LatamChequea Innovation: how to share data among fact-checking organizations.
LatamChequea 2026 continues with new activities and collaborative workspaces to keep sharing experiences, strengthen partnerships, and develop joint responses to the challenges of information integrity in the region.
The event is organized by Chequeado (Argentina), in partnership with the Mexican organizations El Sabueso (Animal Político’s fact-checking unit) and Verificado, and is co-funded by the European Union. The initiative also has the support of DiDi, Coca-Cola Latin America, and La Salle University Mexico, as well as the backing of UNESCO, NED, the French Embassy in Mexico, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, DW Akademie, German Cooperation, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
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