Latinos, Media, and Democracy Program - The Periodistas Edition 2024

DDIA seeks 12 journalists, media professionals, or content creators to join its 8-week capacity-building program. Apply by March 31, 2024 (8:00 p.m. EST).

• Review the call for applications here.

• Submit your application here.

Are you a journalist or content creator working for or with Latinos? Are you interested in learning more about information integrity and countering online harms in the context of the 2024 U.S. elections? 

DDIA has launched The Periodistas Edition of the Latinos, Media, and Democracy program,  an 8-week series of workshops designed to support journalists and content producers with the tools and knowledge they need to understand, cover, and counter disinformation in Latino communities in the United States.

Participants will be given the opportunity to learn from and engage with experts from a variety of disciplines, and will take part in briefings and workshops on topics ranging from U.S. Latino-specific disinformation trends to inoculation techniques to practical investigative approaches and strategic storytelling. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Participants must fit into at least one of the categories described below to qualify for the program: 

• Be a  U.S.-based journalist or media pro covering politics or elections in the United States

• Be a Latin America-based journalist or media pro covering the 2024 elections in the United States

• Be a U.S.-based journalist or media pro covering entertainment, tech, or social media

• Be a U.S.-based journalist or media pro covering specific states or cities

• Be a media content producer based in the United States or in Latin America producing content for YouTube or TikTok channels that are geared for Latinos

Participants should have between 1 and 5 years of experience, be fluent in English (and preferably also Spanish or Portuguese), and be working with/for Latino communities in 2024. 

Skills, attributes, and experiences that may be particularly relevant to this program include:

• Interest in the intersections of politics, election, democracy and disinformation,

• Interest in investigating and/or researching how disinformation circulates among Latinos and how (if) it impacts their behavior,

• Interest in learning new tools and techniques to improve reporting/content production,

• Interest in participating in a emerging cohort of Latino-centered content producers, and

• Access to Google Meets and Zoom for the period of the program.
  

PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS AND COMMITMENT

• Be ready to dedicate at least 16 hours of time to the program between May and July 2024, being present (virtually or in person) in all sessions scheduled (in advance) by DDIA.

• Commit to producing and publishing at least one piece of content inspired by at least one of the lessons learned during the program, besides measuring its impact. 

• Commit to filling out pre- and post-session surveys as part of DDIA’s  measurement and evaluation requirements.

MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM

LMDP 2024 will kick off with an in-person workshop in Washington, D.C. from Thursday, May 16 - Friday, May 17, 2024. On the first day, participants will be presented with key polling, focus-group, and narrative findings on Latino engagement with disinformation and effective countermeasures. On the second day, participants will take part in various meetings with key D.C.-based policy, tech and democracy stakeholders.

Subsequent sessions, taking place online between mid-May and early July, 2024, will cover U.S. Latino voting behaviors, media consumption trends, and the importance of depolarization techniques in fostering constructive dialogue online, as well as safely investigating hate and disinformation networks, understanding tactics used to misinform, and exploring AI tools for tracking and debunking false narratives.

Optional add-on sessions provide further opportunities for skill development, including fact-checking methodologies and understanding electoral integrity policies in the social media environment.

At the end of the 8-week period, participants will be asked to produce at least one piece of content using tools, techniques or strategies learned during the program.

ABOUT DDIA

The Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA) – operated by and for Latinos and Latin Americans – is a hub for research and interventions geared at strengthening trust and connection between communities, media, and democracy. Our team is bringing together insights and actors across the Western Hemisphere to shape a more participatory, inclusive, and resilient digital democracy. We apply research at the intersection of information integrity, belief, and behavior to build trust, connection, and capacity with communities and to shape policy interventions that bridge-build and depolarize shared information spaces in the Americas.

In an era of tech solutions to tech problems, we center the human experience in research, capacity-building and policy solutions that contribute to healthy information ecosystems necessary for vibrant digital democracies. 

We envision a world where Latinos are surrounded by fact-based, reputable information that empowers them to make their voices heard across the ocean of content that is today’s Internet. Communities in the Americas deserve an information environment free of fear and repression, one that rewards connection, security, and fair participation in democracy.