Americas Quarterly Dissects How Misinformation Is Unraveling Latin America's Democracies
Americas Quarterly Dissects How Misinformation Is Unraveling Latin America's Democracies
AQ takes a look at how social media has escalated the problem of fake news and what are some solutions within reach.
New York, NY, October 19, 2021 — “Whether it’s memes falsely alleging election fraud in Brazil, or touting bananas as a miracle COVID-19 cure in Mexico, the onslaught has accelerated a decade-long trend of declining confidence in democratic institutions, while costing countless lives during the pandemic,” write Americas Quarterly’s (AQ) editors in the magazine’s new issue, which is focused on misinformation and the battle over fake news. It launches Tuesday, October 19. “Disillusioned, many are putting their faith instead in authoritarian leaders, who are delighted by—and in some cases, directly feeding—the confusion.”
While misinformation was always present in politics, social media has escalated the problem to a scale that threatens to unravel Latin America’s democracies, according to AQ’s special report.
In the issue, Mariana Palau gives an overview of Brazil’s fight against fake news, explaining that WhatsApp is a major vehicle for its spread and emphasizing President Jair Bolsonaro’s role in its promulgation. Mariana Reina outlines seven recent cases of misinformation around Latin America, describing what is false and what the creators wanted to accomplish. Leonie Rauls details how governments and civil society are trying to fight misinformation by highlighting some of the solutions Latin American countries have proposed. AQ breaks down how a fake photo of Pope Francis and Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales was created.
Also in this issue, AQ analyzes eight Latin American countries’ relationships with China. The special report highlights Latin America’s delicate position amid both the ongoing China-U.S. confrontation and Mexico’s complicated relationship with China.
AQ’s latest edition includes a profile of Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn. Brendan O’Boyle writes about how the Guatemalan-born von Ahn is using his platform to expand education for girls and women in Guatemala, in addition to investing in the Central American country’s investigative journalism.
Join AQ on Wednesday, November 3 for “Fake News and Elections: How to Reduce the Threat,” an event examining how to prevent misinformation from damaging electoral processes across the Americas. Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, Justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court and President of the Superior Electoral Court, will give the keynote speech. Panelists include International Center for Journalists’ Cristina Tardáguila, Institute of Technology and Society of Rio de Janeiro’s Carlos Affonso Souza, Google Brasil’s Marcelo Lacerda, and it will be moderated by AQ's Editor-in-Chief Brian Winter.
The special edition is available in its entirety at americasquarterly.org.
To request interviews with the authors, or to request publication permission, please contact AS/COA Media Relations at mediarelations@as-coa.org.