Glenn Kessler, chief fact checker at the Washington Post, Khaya Himmelman, a political misinformation reporter, Bill Adair, the founder of PolitiFact and Sérgio Dávila, editor-in-chief of Brazillian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo spoke on a panel about fact checking and misinformation in hyperpolarized times moderated by Anya Schiffrin of Columbia University.
News creators gathered for a lunch workshop hosted by YouTube called “Shorts for journalists: How to optimize your news experience and tell your stories on YouTube Shorts” on the first day of the 24th ISOJ. YouTube Shorts are “snackable” videos that are 60 seconds or less in length and are meant to draw first-time viewers of a particular channel or full-length YouTube video.
Women CEOs and media founders in several countries in Latin America reflect on the road they have traveled. They examine how lessons learned and challenges faced can help pave the way for others coming behind them, who will soon be in charge.
Juan Lorenzo Holmann, former general manager of the newspaper La Prensa, is convinced that the newspaper, which is under siege by Daniel Ortega's regime, will rise up as it has done at other times in its history. He also hopes to be reunited with his wife in Nicaragua, from where he was deported to the United States along with more than 200 political prisoners.
Miguel Ángel Mendoza Urbina became a go-to source of information on social media on April 19, 2018, when anti-government protests erupted in Nicaragua. Mendoza’s work led to his arrest on June 21, 2021. Less than two years later, on Feb. 9, 2023, Mendoza was among 222 political prisoners unexpectedly released by Nicaraguan authorities and deported to the United States.
Quechua journalists and scholars denounced the Peruvian mainstream media’s coverage of recent political protests, alleging a lack of representation for Indigenous voices in the news. Quechua doctoral students at the University of Texas hosted a webinar on Feb. 20 featuring Indigenous journalists and scholars from various regions of the country.
Attorneys for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University are hopeful that Pegasus manufacturer NSO Group will be held accountable in their lawsuit on behalf of Salvadoran journalists. Reporters from the news site El Faro believe the suit will set an important precedent for the protection of journalists across the globe.
More than 200 threats and two murders of journalists were recorded by Colombia's Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP, by its Spanish acronym) during 2022. As part of Colombia's Journalist's Day, commemorated on Feb. 9, FLIP published its annual report. It found that there was scant progress for a press attacked by armed groups and public officials.
In Brazil, independent media have been working to make public transparency the rule, both in government and in newsrooms. Journalists from Fiquem Sabendo and Agência Pública give tips on how to conduct investigations using the Access to Information Law (LAI).
Turning to experts, not normalizing anti-democratic attitudes, and providing the public with the necessary context about lies and misinformation are some pieces of advice from experts on how to cover acts by extremist groups, such as those that happened on Jan. 8, when former president Bolsonaro's far-right supporters stormed three federal buildings in Brasilia.