Generating verified content to dispel misinformation

Created to fill a gap for Spanish-speaking communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Factchequeado is slowing the spread of Spanish-language medical mis- and disinformation in the U.S. by generating original, factual content that responds to false claims circulating in Spanish-speaking communities.

This conversation examines Hispanic Americans’ historical mistrust in the health care system and the effectiveness of fact checking, how Factchequeado is forming alliances with local and national media to reach the “hard-to-reach,” and how the initiative is harnessing the power of social media to find and correct misinformation.

Clara Jiménez Cruz is the co-founder of Factchequeado and CEO of Maldita.es, a Spanish foundation and nonprofit news organization created to fight disinformation and lies in public discourse through fact-checking and data journalism. After a decade-long career as a TV journalist, Clara, who works regularly with national media organizations in Spain, was appointed to the High Level Group against Disinformation by the European Commission and is a current member of the International Fact-Checking Network Advisory Board. Among other recognitions, she has been awarded a 2019 Ashoka Fellowship and was named Spanish Young Journalist of the Year in 2020.

Laura Zommer is the co-founder of Factchequeado and general director of Chequeado, the first fact-checking organization in Argentina, Latin America, and the Global South. She is also the creator of LatamChequea, the largest regional fact-checking network, which brings together more than 30 media organizations across 15 countries to fight disinformation and lies in public discourse. She is a Knight ICJF Fellow, a board member for SembraMedia and La Silla Vacía (Colombia) and also a member of the advisory board for the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) and Género & Numero in Brazil. For her work as a journalist, she has received more than half a dozen awards, including the Gabriel García Márquez Award in the “Innovation” category from the Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericana (FNPI).