More than 40 News Outlets, Universities Partner to Expose the Money Behind Disinformation in the Americas

By: 03/09/2023

Journalists selected for ICFJ’s Disarming Disinformation program will work with 41 partners – from news outlets and individual reporters to universities and tech companies – to pursue and publish hard-hitting investigations revealing the people who fund disinformation in the Americas.

ICFJ selected 17 investigative projects led by reporters, editors and researchers from 12 countries. In April, the lead investigators will come together for 48 hours of intensive work in Austin, Texas, as part of the first annual "Investigathon." They will learn tools and techniques that help them execute their projects. Twelve of the participants are supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation, an affiliate organization of the Scripps Howard Fund and the lead funder for Disarming Disinformation. The additional five participants are from Brazil and receive support from the Serrapilheira Institute to investigate who/what funds scientific disinformation. 

 

 

ICFJ selected the journalists based on several criteria: the originality of their investigative proposals, the impact of the online falsehoods they will be addressing in their work, and the amount of data they've already collected about their research. The selected projects all involve collaborations, including with news outlets such as Televisa Univision and Deutsche Welle, academic partners such as the Columbia Journalism School and Universidade de São Paulo, as well as tech companies like Palver that develop tools the participants may need, such as social media and messaging app trackers.

At the Investigathon, participants will have time to share their investigative topics (in a confidential environment), meet with mentors to develop a strong working plan and help each other by sharing information regarding sources, databases and tools. The group will discuss, among other topics, ways to better track money transactions and online connections. They will also have sessions on digital security – so they can investigate without leaving behind a digital footprint. ICFJ aims to equip the group to not only be ready to reveal the bad actors behind disinformation but also to do it in a safe way. 

After the Investigathon, eight out of the 17 collaborative reporting proposals will receive mentorship and up to $10,000 in funding to execute and publish the investigations — which must be completed by June 30. 

ICFJ launched Disarming Disinformation's investigative track in November, when more than 300 professionals gathered online for two days to attend four master classes led by journalists and researchers Laura Zommer, Patrícia Campos Mello, Giannina Segnini, Craig Silverman and Claire Wardle. These speakers will now mentor the team in Austin and the eight grantees after that.

Click on the images below to read the participants' bios.

 

Participants Supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation

 

 

Daniela Mendoza Luna

Mexico

Verificado MX 

 

Daniela Neves Abade

Brazil

Brasilwire  

 

Abril Mulato

United States

Associated Press

 

 

Fabiola Torres Lopez

Peru

Salud con Lupa 

 

Julie Ricard

Brazil

Proceso 

 

Laura Sofía Matiz Pulido

Colombia

La Silla Vacía

 

 

Leda Balbino Fonseca Silva

Brazil

O Globo

 

Luis Alberto Martínez Álvarez

Mexico

Observatorio Mexicano de Medios

 

Luis Gustavo Perez Fakhouri

United States

Palver

 

 

Natalia Arbelaez Jaramillo

Colombia

La Silla Vacía

 

Pablo Martín Fernández

Argentina

Chequeado 

 

 

 

Maria Ramirez Uribe

United States

PolitiFact

 

 

 

 

 

Participants Supported by the Serrapilheira Institute

 

 

Fabiana Cambricoli de Souza

Brazil

O Estado de S. Paulo

 

Filipe Vilicic

Brazil

piauí

 

Giovana Girardi

Brazil

Agência Pública

 

 

Jaqueline Orgler Sordi

Brazil

Revista Questão de Ciência

 

Nádia Costa Pontes

Brazil

Deutsche Welle

 

 

 

Note: This list may continue to be updated with additional journalists selected to take part in the Investigathon.

 

Disarming Disinformation is run by ICFJ with lead funding from the Scripps Howard Foundation, an affiliate organization of the Scripps Howard Fund, which supports The E.W. Scripps Company’s charitable efforts. The three-year project will empower journalists and journalism students to fight disinformation. 

 

This program is also supported by Serrapilheira, a private, nonprofit Brazilian institution created to value scientific knowledge, and increase its visibility and impact in decision-making.

 

Latest News

ICFJ se Suma a Otras 9 Organizaciones Internacionales Para Presentar un Amicus Curiae en el Caso del Periodista Guatemalteco Encarcelado José Rubén Zamora

Un grupo de 10 organizaciones internacionales presentó esta semana un amicus curiae ante la Corte Suprema de Justicia de Guatemala en el caso del periodista José Rubén Zamora Marroquín. El amicus, presentado el 26 de marzo, argumenta que el retorno de Zamora a prisión preventiva constituye una violación de sus derechos fundamentales bajo el derecho guatemalteco e internacional, e insta a la Corte a otorgar un recurso de amparo pendiente y permitir que el Sr. Zamora lleve su proceso bajo medidas sustitutivas.

ICFJ Joins 9 Other International Organizations in Submitting Amicus Brief in Case of Imprisoned Guatemalan Journalist José Rubén Zamora

A group of 10 international organizations submitted an amicus curiae brief to Guatemala’s Supreme Court in the case of journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín. The brief, filed on March 26, argues that Zamora’s return to preventive detention constitutes a violation of his fundamental rights under Guatemalan and international law, and urges the Court to grant a pending amparo appeal and allow Zamora to return to house arrest.

Press Freedom on Campus: Why it Matters and What Student Journalists Need Most

In February, ICFJ partnered with Vanderbilt University and Freedom Forum, with support from the Lumina Foundation, to bring university faculty and students, international and U.S. journalists, and media leaders together for a discussion about the importance of press freedom in democratic societies. Participants stressed how U.S.-based journalists can learn from the experiences of their colleagues abroad, and they dived into the challenges campus reporters face, such as a lack of funding and harassment from fellow students, offered advice for engaging audiences, and more.