Chequeado: A fact-checking movement

By Luminate

2 min read

For individuals to engage in civic action, vote in a way that aligns with their values, or even make decisions that affect their daily lives, they need to be well informed. While information has never been more readily available, getting to the facts is more difficult than ever. Powerful vested interests are increasingly using their reach and influence to distort or misrepresent critical pieces of information.

Chequeado was launched in 2010 in response to this trend. Based in Argentina, Latin America’s first fact-checking organisation is reducing the circulation of misinformation and improving access to evidence-based news through three programmes: The Newsroom, The Innovation Lab, and Education.

The Newsroom comprises an editorial team that produces daily fact-checking articles and in-depth analysis of statements by prominent figures. The Innovation Lab creates products that make fact-checking faster and more accessible: for example, an app that lets users request and share fact checks. Finally, the Education programme produces materials for those who want to join the Latin American fact-checking movement, offers online courses on Chequeado’s methodology and verification, and leads projects on data literacy for youth.

Luminate first supported Chequeado in 2016 with $237,000. This capital went towards developing technology to improve the quality of information available to the public. It also supported the organisation of Latam Chequea 2016, an event which brought together all the region’s fact-checkers and led to the creation of eight new initiatives based on Chequeado’s methodology.

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Chequeado has started a fact-checking movement in Latin America.

95%

of fact checkers in Latin America now use Chequado’s methodology

In 2018, we renewed our support, committing a further $680,000. In a world where misinformation is spreading increasingly rapidly, Chequeado will use this extra funding to experiment with more efficient, automated fact-checking – including working with social media platforms such as Facebook to reduce the general public’s exposure to misleading content. They will also experiment with new formats and partnerships to make their fact checks more effective and persuasive.

Chequeado has started a fact-checking movement in Latin America. The leading organisation of its kind, its methodology is now used by 20 of the 21 fact-checkers in the region. By public corrections and requests for fact-checks by influential public figures, Chequeado is holding power to account and improving the quality of public discourse in Latin America.

Find out more about Chequeado