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What journalists can learn from Factchequeado about tackling misinformation

Kateleigh Drumm

Image Credit: Canva

IT'S A FACT! ¡de verdad!

Recognizing fact-based information can be hard for anyone, so it’s vital to know what tools are out there to help you determine what’s real and what’s fake. That goes for not only English-speakers in the U.S., but also Spanish-speakers too.  Spanish-speaking communities are often targeted for misinformation and disinformation because they make up a key voting block for this year’s presidential election. 

So who is doing this work to sort out fact from fiction for Latino and Hispanic communities? Enter the team at Factchequeado!

“We know that this information [misinformation and disinformation] is at the same time a global phenomenon and a hyper-local phenomenon,” Laura Zommer, Factchequeado’s CEO and co-founder, told America Amplified in a July presentation.“It’s not just in the U.S. It is everywhere.”

Factchequeado launched in 2022 as a way to address misinformation and disinformation for Hispanic and Latino audiences. The nonprofit, non-partisan organization produces journalism for their audiences and also trains journalists to recognize misinformation (false or inaccurate information) and disinformation (false information intended to deceive).

Zommer says it is important not to use the term “fake news” to describe what content is being evaluated when fact-checking. 

“News is something that happened, that is extraordinary, that affects a lot of people,” Zommer said. By labeling content that was created with the intention to deceive as “fake news,” journalists may be putting it in the same league as fact-based, actual news and information.

“When we think about ‘fake news’ our brain thinks about white and black,” Zommer said. “And we know that reality is a lot more complex than that.” 

For example, some articles can use portions of the truth, but may mislead by not inserting the context or the entire facts of a situation. 

Zommer says misinformation and disinformation spread often in the same cycles. For example, information will start out anonymous online, then get picked up by closed or semi-closed networks, like WhatsApp. That information can then be shared with groups like conspiracy communities, who then spread it on social media. If the misinformation and disinformation garners enough traction, professional media organizations may write or report about it to find out the validity of what’s being shared.

When it comes to fact-checking, Factchequeado verifies the public discourse and identifies who is leading those conversations. Those leaders could be public personalities or institutions. Factchequeado fact-checks items that are re-traceable and have impact on public debate and decision making. They also debunk viral content, which is often user-generated content where authors are not as easily identifiable. 

Zommer says it’s important to meet audiences where they are getting and discussing their information. Many Spanish-speakers in the U.S. use social networks like WhatsApp to discuss politics. That’s why Factchequeado spends a lot of time on WhatsApp, where they operate a chatbot. Users can send in a question and the chatbot will send back articles or resources that relate to it. All the messages sent to the chatbot also go to Factchequeado’s reporting team, which helps to inform their editorial staff. The team can also interact with users on a one-on-one basis if necessary. In addition to the chatbot, Factchequeado also has a WhatsApp Channel where users can subscribe to content to be received on a regular basis, like videos, media literacy resources, and a newsletter. 

“Bad actors test their narratives in WhatsApp… They test if the narratives are engaging people or not,” Zommer said. “And the ones that are most engaging are the ones that they decide to invest more [in] and put it out.”

Zommer says misinformers are often motivated by three things: ideology or politics, profit and ignorance. Some types of mis- and disinformation can include satire or parody, misleading content, imposter content, fabricated content, false context, false connection or manipulated content. 

“Our experience shows us that the most successful disinformation has something that is real or is true,” Zommer said. 

So what are Factchequeado’s fact-checking tips and tools for more success?

TIPS:

  • Train yourself to spot AI-generated content. Check small details in an image (like the number of fingers!). Verify if scenery or texts in the background of images are accurate. Do a Google reverse-image search. There is still a lot of work needed to detect false AI images, but these tips will get you started.

  • You have to be where people are and not wait for them to come to you.

  • Be transparent about what is and what isn’t known by your news staff about the topic being covered. 

  • Beware of images. Always stamp a label over misleading visuals.

  • Not everything is “TRUE” or “FALSE” (Use a rating system for in-between info or say “Needs context”) 

  • Do not link to disinformers and provide them with web traffic

  • Collaboration with others is not optional - it’s essential. This could be partnerships with other media organizations, community organizations, academic partners and more. Collaboration helps tackling such a large issue as a more manageable task.

    TOOLS: 

You can find other resources and tools about misinformation and disinformation below: 

America Amplified’s playbook resources: https://www.americaamplified.org/journalism/recognizing-misinformation-during-after-2020-election 

News Literacy Project’s Misinformation Dashboard for the 2024 Election: https://misinfodashboard.newslit.org/

Poynter’s Politifact’s 2024 fact checker: https://www.politifact.com/elections/ 
PenAmerica’s 2024 commitment: https://pen.org/what-were-doing-about-disinformation-in-2024/