Misinformation and hoaxes make their way with great speed on social networks such as Instagram or Twitter, messaging apps such as Telegram and also on the video platforms YouTube or TikTok, invaded by political propaganda, conspiracy theories and partisan and partial views on the present.
Fake news has been a problem for many years, beginning to be seen as a serious problem since Donald Trump’s first term in 2017. We verified its danger in the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, within the framework of the DANA that has affected Valencia and other autonomous communities, we see how once again all types of content creators and political figures share information without verification or from dubious sources.
If this problem also worries you, and you would like to try to curate your social feeds so that you receive reliable information, it must be said that there is a partial solution: follow some of the Spanish verifiers and detectors of false information. The truth is that there are several media outlets and journalists in Spain that are dedicated exclusively to comparing data and information, and we can follow their social media accounts to always have a more objective vision than other channels that we can follow.
These news fact-checkers face their own difficulties, as many people doubt the legitimacy of one account or another based on the political trend they believe it follows. Although we must always ask ourselves about the political orientation of the media we follow, we must keep in mind that distrusting absolutely all media and journalists is not a reasonable perspective, since good practice continues to exist within the profession and we will always need to have references to understand what is happening around us.
In this context, we are going to list about five online media outlets or private accounts dedicated to denying false information, so that you can consider following them or visiting their front pages regularly to seek a less biased view of current events.
EFE verifies
EFE verifies is the portal dedicated to the verification of information from the EFE agency, the largest Spanish-language news agency in Spain. We can find articles dedicated to correcting hoaxes, explanatory topics in greater depth, or articles that verify videos, photographs and other data shared on networks through open source research (OSINT). They also have a profile on other social networks such as Twitter.
Damned
damn.es It is a means of communication somewhat different from the usual commercial media. To a greater extent, it takes the form of a foundation as they aim to fulfill a social task: that of carrying out fact-checking and dismantling false information on networks or shared by other means. In addition, Maldita has several portals dedicated to specific topics such as technology or science, focusing on the comparison of news and sources related to these types of information. With more than 130 thousand followers on Twitter, it is one of the best-known platforms in this sense in our country.
Within the framework of the news that emerged as a result of the DANA in Valencia, Maldita has been working very intensely to curate the various information that has circulated on networks. They also have their own Telegram channel.
Digital pandemic
Digital pandemic It is a private project of journalists dedicated to fighting misinformation, which also streams live through Twitch. On its social networks, Pandemia digital uses more direct and colloquial language, with no intention of imitating a traditional media outlet, but rather, more directly, trying to delegitimize public figures or media outlets best known for spreading fake news. .
Uncovered
Uncovered is another independent project in which a group of journalists uses data analysis to counter false, partial or biased narratives that flood social networks. Like Pandemic Digital, Al Discovered also broadcasts live on Twitch, in addition to publishing long-form videos on YouTube in which they delve into the stories of public figures and the narratives that are promoted by the different political parties.
Newtral
Newtral is the online media launched by journalist Ana Pastor, known for her work as a presenter and journalist on La Sexta. Newtral cannot be missing from this list given that it is one of the first professionalized media focused on information verification launched in Spain. It is also the one with the most social following, with almost 200,000 followers on Twitter.
Newtral It has been harshly criticized by some political figures, who accuse the medium of a bias favorable to the left. However, it must be taken into account that Newtral is made up of a relatively large staff of journalists, specially trained and specialized in data analysis and checking sources. They also have their own Telegram channel.
