At Factchequeado, we are committed to strengthening democracy and ensuring access to verified information in Spanish for the Latino communities living in the United States, which amount to 65.2 million people according to Census Bureau estimates.
In just two years, we have become the largest collaborative effort against Spanish-language mis- and disinformation in the U.S., according to the BBC.
Our strategy is based on:
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Community building
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Collaboration
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Education (media literacy)
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Innovation (developing civic technology and experimenting with formats and storytelling)
We create high-quality, rigorous content in Spanish, tailored to the realities and information consumption habits of Latino communities.
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Our social media community grew: +376%
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Our production increased: +67%
A growing
organization 💪
*2024 compared to 2023.
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Our partners increased: +93%
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Our financial support grew: +75%
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Our training efforts grew: 64 training sessions conducted,
a 110% increase compared to 2023, reaching more than 2000 participants.
Training 🎓
A Bilingual Guide for Journalists Covering Latino Communities: Developed with support from the Donald W. Reynolds Institute (RJI), this innovative tool addresses the specific challenges faced by Latino communities in the U.S. The guide provides practical, accessible resources to help journalists identify, analyze, and combat Spanish-language mis- and disinformation, bridging information gaps.
Training events for journalists:
We organized 22 training events, promoting knowledge sharing and strategies to tackle mis- and disinformation across various platforms and in a variety of situations.
Workshops:
We conducted 26 workshops focused on technical and practical journalism skills, including fact-checking, ethical use of digital tools, and effective communication within diverse communities.
Talks and forums:
With active participation in 64 talks and forums, we strengthened partnerships with opinion leaders, journalistic organizations, and experts in mis- and disinformation.
Educational content on social media:
We created and distributed 50 pieces of media literacy content on social media, raising public awareness about the importance of consuming and sharing reliable information and reaching thousands of users.
We conducted sessions with universities and grassroots organizations to reinforce our commitment to media literacy at all levels. Examples include:
*Training with universities and community organizations:
Through our WhatsApp chatbot, we offer an accessible and reliable channel for resolving questions and providing verified information. Over the past year, we responded to more than 13,000 inquiries, building stronger connections with our audience.
Direct communication with the community:
In partnership with LAUSD’s Family Academy, we hosted a webinar empowering over 120 families with tools to identify and combat mis- and disinformation in their everyday lives.
Collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD):
Community
*1
Training journalism students at Florida International University (FIU) to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
*3
Training journalism students at Florida International University (FIU) to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
*2
Training journalism students at Florida International University (FIU) to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
*4
Training journalism students at Florida International University (FIU) to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
to monitor strategies to identify and counter mis- and disinformation.
Collaboration 🤝
Expanding
our network:
In 2024, we strengthened strategic relationships by adding 54 new partners, reaching a total of 117 organizations. This includes new partnerships with 20 media outlets and 34 institutions, expanding our reach to more Latino communities with reliable information.
Knowledge-sharing events:
We hosted 50 sessions of "El Cafecito," weekly meetings fostering the exchange of ideas and best practices among Factchequeado partners, enhancing collective impact in combating mis- and disinformation.
We multiplied our reach through collaboration:
We achieved +500 mentions from allies and other actors on social media, multiplying the dissemination of verified information and strengthening our impact in Latino communities.
Election collaboration events:
We organized “The truth is nonpartisan: Spanish-language media and community organizations fact-checking the 2024 elections” an event at Florida International University.
Highlights:
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Broad participation: More than 50 Spanish-language media leaders, community organizations, and experts came together to discuss the challenges of disinformation in the election.
Relevant and educational content: -
4 keynote speakers presented key demographic data about the Latino community, their information consumption, and the impact of artificial intelligence in this process.
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12 Lightning Talks generated spaces for dynamic dialogue to explore how to inform Latinos and Hispanics more effectively.
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Innovation in action: We organized the first Memeathon. This competition highlighted creativity and innovation by exploring the potential of memes as a tool to combat disinformation narratives and connect with Latino communities.
What do our partners think about Factchequeado?
Using Fatchequando has allowed us to maintain accurate and timely information during the electoral campaign. By conducting a triple check, we identified several audience comments affected by mis- and disinformation. Since these comments are live, we relied on their service to review and remove the informational distortions.
They do an incredible job!
Osvaldo Franko, Content Producer,
Radio Campesina.
At Gannett, we are excited about our growing collaboration with Factchequeado and the USA TODAY network. It has significantly strengthened our fact-checking content at USA TODAY. We love the enthusiasm from the rest of the USA TODAY network, with local sites eager to access and create more Spanish-language content. We are exploring ways to expand the reach of the partnership with Factchequeado across the network.
Kyle Omphroy, Project Manager, Gannett.
We value a lot our partnership with FactChequeado because they are doing a job that is so necessarily these days. Also, they have a great team and they produce amazing content, especially in Spanish. The high quality content that FactChequeado produces is something that we are delighted to share because we know the value of it and how much our community out there needs it.
Lorena Mora, Communications Manager, GALEO.
There are many organizations that do editorial and third-party fact-checking activities, but Factchequeado stands out in this landscape for its incredible standard of service to Latino communities in the United States and for the organization's serious commitment to nonpartisan and nonprofit values. One of the things that I appreciate the most about Factchequeado is the fact that the organization produces so many materials and resources that are not only free to use, but they're also straightforward, actionable, and usable for a general audience.
Kurt Sampsel, Senior Program Manager for Disinformation and Community Engagement at PEN America.
Innovation ⚡️
Creative formats for social media:
We revolutionized our community engagement with innovative approaches, such as:
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Memes: Humor-driven debunking of false narratives.
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Contenido culinario: Combining sharing recipes with presenting verified information to connect with audiences in an accessible way.
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Interactive series: Featuring segments like "Rafa con Rafa" (“Rafa with Rafa” in English) and challenges to creatively address mis- and disinformation.
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Podcast collaboration: "La Mentirota," a segment on "In the Thick" podcast, debunks the most relevant mis- and disinformation affecting Latino communities.
Innovation ⚡️
Tools to empower
Weekly newsletter via WhatsApp: A Sunday summary of our top verifications and explainers.
The #FactChallenge course: A 7-day Spanish-language media literacy course on WhatsApp, empowering Latinos to combat mis- and disinformation during the 2024 elections. This course was chosen by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas in Austin, as one of the 10 groundbreaking news projects that made an impact in Latin America in 2024
New strategies and research:
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Prebunking efforts: Partnering with DDIA to create explainers addressing disinformation narratives before they spread.
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AI-driven research: In collaboration with Proof News, we evaluated how major AI chatbots handled Spanish-language mis- and disinformation during elections. Spanish-language responses were found to be significantly more erroneous or inaccurate compared to English responses.
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Platform accountability: Research with Tech Policy Press and Maldita.es revealed that in over 50% of cases, major platforms failed to act on certified fact-checkers' reports during elections.
Impact
on the 2024 presidential elections 🗳
On November 5, 2024, millions of Americans voted in the presidential elections, with Hispanic voters representing 14.7% of the eligible electorate (Pew Research Center, 2024). This group, key to determining the electoral outcome, is also the most reliant on social media as a news source (Understanding Media Habits & Engaging Latino Communities, 2024), making them particularly vulnerable to mis- and disinformation.
Faced with this challenge, Factchequeado committed to protecting the integrity of the 2024 elections by actively combating electoral mis- and disinformation and providing comprehensive coverage before, during, and after Election Day. Below are the highlights of our work and impact:
Electoral Content Production
Explainers and fact-checks about elections: We published 369 verifications and explainers focused on the electoral process and the most relevant mis- and disinformation narratives from this voting cycle. These materials also serve as prebunking resources for future elections.
Social media content: We created 667 election-related posts tailored to the platforms where our audience interacts most.
Community Engagement
Electoral Cafecitos: We organized community discussions in collaboration with our 117 partners. These meetings helped identify informational gaps, tackle local mis- and disinformation, and promote collaborative strategies.
The main collaborative effort against Spanish-language mis- and disinformation.
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We conducted an 8-hour live broadcast during which our team presented key facts about the elections and debunked mis- and disinformation in real time.
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We focused on states where these narratives were circulating, ensuring our audience received verified information immediately.
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We coordinated with 25 media and NGO partners in key states to provide real-time reports from mobile units, with over 30 people on air.
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Our reach: 30,000 views, 28 retransmissions by partners, and 50 mentions on social media and in the press.
Tools and Products 🗳
Electopedia
We created a bilingual repository of electoral explainers in text and video, designed to combat recurring mis- and disinformation and explain the U.S. electoral system. This content will remain valuable for future elections. Explore Electopedia.
Electobot
We launched a conversational chatbot in Spanish to answer electoral questions, receive suspicious content, and provide instant verifications. This tool was accessible to the entire Latino community during the elections.
Highlights 🏆
Awards
+200 mentions in the press in 2024
Media mentions
© 2024 Factchequeado
More information at