Fact-checking journalism is essential to uphold democratic quality in times of polarization. When everything seems divided, journalism based on facts helps rebuild a shared foundation for public debate. Fact-checking is more than correcting mistakes: it is about defending people’s right to make decisions based on evidence — not lies.

LatamChequea makes an urgent call to funders, platforms, and governments to defend fact-checking, because it is the right of people to be informed. When that right is eroded, it’s not just journalism at stake, but the very health of our democracies.

Fact-checking organizations in Latin America are facing a perfect storm. The breakdown in U.S. international cooperation affects the sustainability of many projects — a scenario that only benefits those who manufacture disinformation. We call on global funders who care about information integrity to step up. The societies of Latin America, in all their diverse identities and cultures, need independent and sustainable media to mitigate the real harm that disinformation causes to civil rights and democratic quality.

Social media platforms must be part of the solution — not the problem. We need more transparency, not less. We urge platforms to provide greater data access and collaborate with those fighting disinformation, and we call on Meta in particular to reverse its decision to end the third-party fact-checking program in the U.S. — a move that leaves millions of Americans further exposed to misinformation and casts a shadow over the rest of the world.

Artificial intelligence companies must assume their responsibility in combating disinformation. It is urgent that they train their models ethically, implement mechanisms to ensure the accuracy of the content they generate, and collaborate with expert fact-checkers to ensure the integrity of information.

To governments and parliaments across the region, we say clearly: protecting freedom of expression is your duty. Laws that criminalize international funding — as seen in Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, and El Salvador, joining similar legislation in Nicaragua and Guatemala earlier this decade — do not safeguard sovereignty. They are attempts to silence the media and organizations working transparently in service of the public. These laws must be repealed.

Without verification, lies win. We defend the right to information as a human right and a public good. We will not accept any setbacks.