Meet the 20 participants selected for our LMDP program for this Spring! Over 8 weeks, they will participate in briefings / workshops on:
- Latino media consumption + voting
- AI prompt engineering, content analysis, verification
- AI ethics, bias mitigation, data privacy
ddia.org/en/LMDP-2026
Introducing the 20 particpants of the Spring cohort of the 2026 LMDP program! Get to know them: ddia.org/en/LMDP-2026
New Version History! The weird, wild story of Clubhouse, with @caseynewton.bsky.social and @ashleycarman.bsky.social
📺: youtu.be/8xmixsUdO4Q
🎧: www.theverge.com/podcast/8950...
The is the federal government telling news stations to provide favorable coverage of the war or their licenses will be pulled.
A truly extraordinary moment.
We aren't on the verge of a totalitarian takeover. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
Act like it.
President Donald Trump accused Iran of using Al-generated disinformation and media manipulation to spread false claims about attacks on US military assets. Trump said reports of damaged US refuelling planes and a burning USS Abraham Lincoln were fabricated, asserting that Iran's military narrative is being amplified by what he called "fake news" media outlets. He also suggested that some media organisations spreading such reports should face serious legal scrutiny #UnitedStates #DonaldTrump #Iran #aircrafts #damage Donald J. Trump ® @realDonald Trump Iran has long been known as a Master of Media Manipulation and Public Relations. They are Militarily ineffective and weak, but are really good at "feeding" the very appreciative Fake News Media false information. Now, A.I. has become another Disinformation weapon that Iran uses, quite well, considering they are being annihilated by the day. They showed phony "Kamikaze Boats," shooting at various Ships at Sea, which looks wonderful, powerful, and vicious, but these Boats don't exist — It's all false information to show how "tough" their already defeated Military is! The five U.S. Refueling Planes that were supposedly struck down and badly damaged, according to The Wall Street Journal's false reporting, and others, are all in service, with the exception of one, which will soon be flying the skies. Buildings and Ships that are shown to be on fire are not — It's FAKE NEWS, generated by A.I. For instance, Iran, working in close coordination with the Fake News Media, shows our great USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier, one of the largest and most prestigious Ships in the World, burning uncontrollably in the Ocean. Not only was it not burning, it was not even shot at — Iran knows better than to do that! The story was knowingly FAKE and, in a certain way, you can say that those Media Outlets that generated it should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information! The fact is, Iran is being deci…
Iran? Spreading disinformation and war propaganda? No!!
AI content...manipulating the discourse..on X??!!!
FAKE NEWS MEDIA amplifying it on social media? Surely a Community Note will fix that... (in 14 hours)
If only we had, idk, agencies & partnerships & verification tools for such things.
These are the stories media needs to be covering. Every time an infant dies of a refusal, tell the story. Use those words. The NYT has some of the most abysmal, sympathetic coverage of the AV movement because it can’t bring itself to offend, so we get writing implying we don’t know why it’s grown🤷🏻♀️
John Oliver on right wing grifter, "brain" behind the "censorship industrial complex" and USAID destroyer, Mike Benz:
"a chronically online lunatic"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU8S...
Since we got “Iran interfered in the election!” as a justification for war, have Maduro sitting in jail, and Tulsi was snuffling around Georgia looking for “evidence” of god knows what—here are the Chinese, Vezuelan, Italian, Iranian, etc conspiracy theories liars in power are dredging back up. 📡💻🗳️
LAST DAY to APPLY! Applications for the 8-week LMDP 2026 training series are due tonight at 11:59 pm ET. If you’re a Latino journalist, content creator, or civil society leader, submit yours at the link below. ddia.org/en/LMDP-2026
Application form: airtable.com/appYPuncHIMK...
The Pentagon wants AI that can fight wars without limits. Anthropic says there are lines it won't cross. And this week, that standoff turned into an all-out confrontation. To unpack the news, I spoke to Kat Duffy from the Council on Foreign Relations and Amos Toh from the Brennan Center:
This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t
I can't fucking believe we're doing this again.
Last week to apply! If you are a Latino journalist, content creator, or civil society leader interested in harnessing AI tools for investigations, content creation, etc., apply for 1 of 20 spots in this year's LMDP cohort. Applications due Sunday, March 1! Learn more / apply: ddia.org/en/LMDP-2026
Sadly we saw this President vs. Supreme Court battle play out in Brazil. Not pretty!
Want to investigate something using open sources but not sure where to start? 🧵
We’ve gathered some of our go-to resources for learning, practicing, and collaborating on open source research - whether you’re brand new or sharpening your skills...
Apply by March 1 for the Latinos, Media, and Democracy Program, in collaboration with the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social @dfrlab.bsky.social
ddia.org/en/LMDP-2026
Apply for LMDP 2026! airtable.com/appYPuncHIMK...
Are you a Latino journalist, creator, or civil society leader interested in learning how to harness AI tools for content analysis, deep search, verification, investigations, and content creation, while focusing on bias mitigation?
Participants must fit into at least one category:
Be a U.S.-based journalist covering politics or elections in the United States
Be a Latin America-based journalist covering the 2026 midterm elections in the United States
Be a U.S.-based journalist covering entertainment, tech, or social media
Apply by March 1, 2026! ddia.org/en/LMDP-2026
Applications are open for LMDP 2026 - The AI Edition, an 8-week series of workshops designed to support Latino journalists, content creators, media professionals, and civil society leaders with 1-5 years of experience. 20 will be selected.
The killing of Alex Pretti by ICE in MN became the week’s dominant Spanish-lang topic, w/ most Latinos seeing this as the outright murder of a humanitarian defending migrants. Latino influencers like Carlos Eduardo Espina + outlets EL PAÍS stood out. www.ddia.org/en/get-invol...
We also outline key recs for users, regulators and financial institutions. Check out the full report! ddia.org/en/whatsapp-...
We cover some of the most common investment-related scams, including:
- “Magic” trading bots
- Pyramid schemes and so-called “mandalas”
- Deceptive loan offers
- Bank impersonation
- Aggressive online gambling promotions
- Fake success stories and testimonials
Today, DDIA releases the final chapter in a series of investigations into how scammers exploit Spanish-language public WhatsApp groups with promises of easy wealth, “guaranteed” returns, and risk-free investments for Latinos.
To complement the global analysis on Whatsapp and Telegram DDIA did of English and Spanish discussions in the first 12 hours, DDIA yesterday published highlights of discussions over 72 hours, this time within WhatsApp & Telegram groups comprising members with area codes based in the US & Venezuela.
Since the U.S.’s extraction and arrest of Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026, an ongoing debate has unfolded in English and Spanish in the spaces where there are few “editors,” no algorithmic feed, and no single narrative in control – on WhatsApp and Telegram public groups. ddia.org/en/tracking-...
“Messaging apps are early accelerators of narratives. Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram rapidly host competing narratives, often before traditional news outlets or fact checkers can contextualize events.” - @bragaroberta.bsky.social, DDIA’s founder and executive director
At least 13,000 unique messages referencing Venezuela were shared across 1,600 WhatsApp and Telegram public groups, reaching tens of millions of English and Spanish users.
@bragaroberta.bsky.social is on the latest edition of Pressing Issues:
READ: pressingissues.org/the-polarizi...
That said, AI-generated and manipulated imagery depicting Maduro in custody were widely shared right away. These fake visuals spread before and later alongside the real image that President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, misleading users about the nature and timeline of what was being seen.
Though our investigation didn’t detect many clear-cut lies within the first hours, misinformation emerged in how content was framed or what people chose to amplify. For example, imperialism framing often wove in legitimate geopolitical concerns with unverified claims about broader strategic moves.
I spoke with @nytimes.com about what the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas has been tracking online and in messaging apps in English and Spanish since around 2 am on Saturday, Jan. 3. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/t...
A quick list of must-knows about the events in Venezuela since 2 am this morning. ddia.org/en/venezuela...
