First Draft is expanding its international initiatives to tackle information disorder by supporting the work of Reverso, a collaborative verification project focused on the electoral process that includes more than 130 Argentinian media organisations.
Both genuine political actors and agents of disinformation will be sharing information in the run up to the general election in Argentina in October 2019. Viral messages, photos, memes and videos relating to the campaigns will all require verification to ensure voters are properly informed.
The alliance built for Reverso is very diverse. It brings together local, national and international organisations working jointly for a common goal: to set the record straight during this decisive moment for Argentinian democracy. Participants include AFP, BBC, La Nación, Telefe, Diario Popular and Chequeado.
First Draft intends to establish a local Argentinian bureau and aid media partners by developing, designing and delivering training material for newsrooms and journalists. We will also explore further partnerships with online video and digital presentation experts. By establishing a strong Argentinian network, we aim to produce deeper investigations into stories debunked by Reverso.
First Draft’s production of online training materials and checklists will help its partners, and those in the Reverso network, to understand the threat and spread of disinformation online, to acquire new skills in the detection, monitoring and verification of online disinformation and to become familiar with best practices for responsible reporting.
From our headquarters, First Draft will provide overall consultancy to support this broad collaboration. First Draft’s participation in Reverso follows its experience supporting similar projects during elections in the US, France, Brazil, Nigeria, Spain and Australia.
Make sure to keep an eye on the Reverso website for all the reports and investigations by the newsrooms as Argentina heads to the polls this year.
Reverso is an initiative of Chequado, AFP Factual, First Draft and Pop-up Newsroom and counts with support of international organisations including Facebook Journalism Project, Google News Initiative, Luminate and WhatsApp.
Update: This article has been updated to reflect the increased number of participants, clarify the subject matter for verification and name the supporting organisations.
