Latin American fact-checkers urge funders, platforms, governments to defend public’s right to know
Editor’s note: Latam Chequea, a Latin American network of fact-checking organizations in 21 countries, promotes collaboration among fact-checkers and the strengthening of evidence-based journalism as a fundamental tool for democracy. It met on Tuesday ahead of GlobalFact, the annual conference of the International Fact-Checking Network. Latam Chequea issued the following call to action on behalf of its membership.
Fact-checking journalism is essential to uphold democratic quality in times of polarization. When everything seems divided, journalism based on facts helps rebuild a shared foundation for public debate. Fact-checking is more than correcting mistakes: it is about defending people’s right to make decisions based on evidence — not lies.
LatamChequea makes an urgent call to funders, platforms, and governments to defend fact-checking, because it is the right of people to be informed. When that right is eroded, it’s not just journalism at stake, but the very health of our democracies.
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Fact-checking has become a familiar tool for political reporters to hold office-holders and candidates accountable. But critics ask if fact-checkers sometimes miss the forest for the trees, and if the practice often struggles with false equivalency the way conventional political coverage does.