Maldita.es trains 5 international fact-checking organizations in “advocacy and public policy activities to fight disinformation”

The mentorship began in September of 2022 and, since the very first workshop, we have highlighted the importance of fact-checking organizations engaging in advocacy activities : we understand that it is an effective tool to fight disinformation and that fact-checkers, as experts, have the capacity and the expertise to offer evidence-based solutions. Furthermore, we are aware of the cost of being absent from public debates over disinformation: then, other actors that might not have the same experience and credibility fill that void.

Carlos Hernández-Echevarría , Assistant Director and Head of Public Policy, along Ximena Villagrán , Chief Operating Officer, taught five different sessions on how to define objectives and positions on different public policies, how to cultivate relationships with stakeholders without compromising the organization’s editorial independence and legitimate interests, or how to act with a limited amount of resources and capacities while ensuring the sustainability of the project. Individual training sessions were also organized for the different participating organizations.

For the training to be accessible to more people, we have gathered in a guidebook the content of the workshops as well as advice and reflections. If you think it can be useful for your organization and you are interested in accessing the document, do not hesitate to send an email to [email protected] .