How Disinformation Threatens Democracy in Latin America: Insights from the BMZ Democracy Forum

Disinformation is a global threat to democracy and political stability. In Latin America, where two-thirds of the population use social media, the unregulated nature of these platforms and their algorithms—which do not adhere to journalistic quality principles—undermines trust in democratic processes, such as election integrity. On 11 September 2024, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) hosted the virtual Democracy Forum with a focus on "Disinformation in Latin America: Challenges and Strategies to Protect Democracy." More than 180 participants listened to an expert panel that discussed the persistence of disinformation in Latin America, the link to democracy, and possible strategies for solutions. 

In her opening remarks, Christine Toetzke, Director General at BMZ, highlighted Germany's commitment to democracy and human-centered development. As part of its regional strategy, BMZ aims to promote democracy and human-centered development. However, the digital transformation poses new risks to democracy in the region. The impact of disinformation - and especially its rapid spread through social media - has led to a growing loss of trust in traditional media and information sources. As people increasingly get trapped in filter bubbles and echo chambers, the societal consensus erodes, leading to diminished trust in democratic processes, such as the integrity of elections. 

In the first presentation, Prof. Jonas Wolff of Goethe University Frankfurt / Peace Research Institute Frankfurt explained the general trends of democracy in Latin America. Even though the continent faces many political conflicts and tensions, democracies have proven more resilient than expected. He emphasized the competing understandings of democracy across the region. In Latin America, democracies are more often measured by the outputs of policies rather than the inputs (such as procedures). 

The Bertelsmann Stiftung presented insights from a series of global studies on the phenomenon of disinformation. In Latin America, three critical factors affect the region: a shared language that makes it easier to share content across countries, persistent digital divides, and authoritarian traditions in many countries. Project lead Cathleen Berger distinguished between disinformation and traditional propaganda, noting that disinformation is often more emotionally driven and is difficult to monitor. Also, actors are driven by economic interests turning the spread of fake news into a business model.   

While all panelists agreed that disinformation is a symptom of global challenges that need to be tackled holistically, Patricia Noboa Armendáriz from DW Akademie provided concrete examples of how initiatives on the ground can help immunize people through media literacy. In Bolivia, for instance, efforts to promote media literacy focus on children and youth. Education is crucial for understanding the dynamics of disinformation and fostering resilience against it. 

Olivia Sohr, Director for Impact and New Initiatives at the Argentinian fact-checking organization Chequeado, underlined the importance of fact-checking, while also denoting the crucial role of critical thinking and capacity development for social media users. While AI has accelerated the spread of fake news, it has also made the life of fact checkers more easy - as the new tools can also support their work. 

After an engaging discussion with the audience, Volker Oel, BMZ Deputy Director General for the Middle East/MENA, Southeastern/Eastern Europe, and Latin America, concluded the event. He emphasized that the current trend of autocratisation has important implications for German development cooperation, which seeks to support democratic actors worldwide. The event was moderated by Anita Breuer, who is senior researcher at the German Institute for Development and Sustainabilty (IDOS) and also a member of TED Working Group “Media and Digital.”