Fact-Checking Journalism: A Palliative Against the COVID-19 Infodemic in Ibero-America

Abstract

This study explores how fact-checkers understand information disorder in Ibero-America, in particular the COVID-19 disinformation. We conducted a quantitative content analysis of the LatamChequea Coronavirus alliance database and in-depth interviews with journalists from the network. Evidence found that one of the most prevalent disinformation topics was the government’s restrictive measures, threatening to jeopardize the effectiveness of public health campaigns. This, added to disinformation that eroded the trust in the institutions and the press, and the opacity of governments constituted a political crisis in Ibero-America. Under this scenario, fact-checkers created relevant journalistic collaborations and strategies to fight disinformation in the region.

Fact-Checking: Journalistic Strategies and Audience Outcomes in Diverse National Contexts

“…Over the last decade, concerns about the prevalence and effects of misinformation have prompted a rapid increase in the number of fact-checking organizations worldwide (Stencel et al, 2023). While the growth in new fact-checkers has now leveled off, efforts to address public misperceptions remain widespread across the globe and their methods continue to evolve (Martínez-García & Ferrer, 2023).…”