September 28, 2026 — Proyecto Desconfío has opened applications for Argentine journalists to participate in “EN CLAVE ELECTORAL: Tools to investigate and verify information ahead of 2027,” a training and mentorship program designed to help news professionals confront the mounting threats of disinformation during the next electoral cycle. The initiative is explicitly framed as an anticipatory response to an information ecosystem that has become faster, more fragmented, and more technically complex than in any previous election. Social media now amplifies unverified claims within seconds, misleading content is produced and distributed in coordinated campaigns, and new artificial intelligence tools are making it possible to generate fabricated images, audio, and video that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic evidence. In that context, Proyecto Desconfío argues, journalists cannot wait until election day to develop the skills they will need. They must begin now to understand how disinformation circulates, how verification works in practice, and how to tell stories that remain grounded in documented facts amid the noise. The program will take place in three Argentine cities — Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Rosario — and will include two in-person sessions in each location. That structure is meant to create a sustained, hands-on learning experience rather than a one-off lecture, giving participants the opportunity to test methodologies, share experiences with colleagues from different regions, and build professional relationships around a shared commitment to accurate reporting.
The urgent need for such an initiative is difficult to overstate. Elections are especially vulnerable moments for public information, because they concentrate attention, emotion, and political stakes into a relatively short period. In previous electoral cycles around the world, false narratives have been used to cast doubt on voting systems, to attack candidates with fabricated evidence, to suppress participation, and to deepen polarization. Argentina has not been immune to these dynamics. The country’s highly engaged social media users, combined with intense political competition and a complex economic context, create fertile ground for rumors, manipulated content, and foreign or domestic disinformation campaigns. The speed of platforms such as WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, and X means that a hoax can reach millions of users before any outlet has a chance to fact-check it. Meanwhile, the rise of generative artificial intelligence has changed the nature of the threat. It is no longer difficult to produce a fake quote, a synthetic voice recording, or a realistic but entirely fabricated photograph. These tools lower the cost of disinformation and increase the burden on journalists, who must now verify both the content and the authenticity of the media they receive. If they are not equipped to deal with those challenges in advance, they risk becoming unwitting vehicles for falsehoods during a critical democratic moment.
“EN CLAVE ELECTORAL” was designed precisely to prepare Argentine journalists for these conditions. According to Proyecto Desconfío’s call for applications, the program offers intensive, hands-on training that will help participants acquire practical tools to identify disinformation, apply structured verification methodologies, analyze electoral disinformation dynamics, and develop new ways of telling stories based on verified information. Those four pillars are important because they reflect a comprehensive vision of journalism’s role in an election. It is not enough to debunk a rumor after it has gone viral; journalists must also be able to recognize the warning signs of a coordinated disinformation operation, understand the political and social motives behind false narratives, and produce reporting that gives audiences a reliable alternative to the confusion. Verification, in this formulation, is not a secondary task or a purely technical matter. It is the foundation of meaningful election coverage. By learning to examine source metadata, trace the origin of images and videos, use open-source intelligence tools, assess digital evidence, and cross-check claims across multiple databases, participants will be able to approach their reporting with the rigor that the moment demands. The mentorship component adds another layer: working journalists will have access to guidance from experienced colleagues, allowing them to refine their newsroom practices and adapt verification techniques to the realities of daily deadlines, limited resources, and breaking news pressure.
The choice of Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Rosario as host cities reflects an effort to reach journalists beyond the traditional media establishment and to build a federal network of professionals with shared skills. Buenos Aires is the country’s media and political center, but it is not the only place where elections are contested or where disinformation spreads. Mendoza and Rosario are major regional hubs with their own political dynamics, local media ecosystems, and information challenges. By holding sessions in all three cities, Proyecto Desconfío signals that the fight against electoral disinformation cannot be won from a central office alone. It requires local reporters, local knowledge, and locally grounded verification practices. The two in-person sessions in each city also suggest a pedagogical approach based on continuity and practice. Participants are likely to return to their newsrooms between sessions, test what they have learned, and then come back with questions, challenges, and examples from their own reporting. That cycle of training, practice, and reflection is far more effective than a single workshop. It also helps build a community of practice that can continue to function after the program ends, which is especially valuable in a profession where misinformation challenges evolve quickly and no single journalist can keep up with every new tool or tactic.
For Argentine media organizations, the program arrives at a moment of both vulnerability and opportunity. Newsrooms around the country are facing economic pressures, reduced staff, and declining public trust. At the same time, audiences are hungry for information they can rely on, particularly during elections, when the consequences of bad information are concrete and measurable. Journalists who complete “EN CLAVE ELECTORAL” will be better equipped not only to avoid being manipulated but also to produce work that differentiates serious journalism from the noise of social media. The program’s emphasis on “new ways to tell stories based on verified information” is particularly significant. It suggests that the response to disinformation should be creative, not just defensive. Rather than simply debunking lies, journalists can use verification as a starting point for investigative reporting, explanatory journalism, and innovative formats that make truth more compelling than falsehood. That approach could take many forms: interactive databases of candidate evidence, timeline reconstructions, explainers on how voting systems work, narrative pieces that humanize the people affected by false rumors, or collaborative projects that bring together journalists, technologists, and civic organizations. The goal is to make verified information more visible, more useful, and more engaging for ordinary citizens, especially those who have grown cynical about politics and media.
Proyecto Desconfío’s announcement is a reminder that preparing for the 2027 elections is not a task that can begin in 2027. Disinformation strategies are already being developed, tested, and refined. Artificial intelligence tools are becoming more accessible every month. Polarized audiences are already primed to believe stories that confirm their biases. In that environment, the difference between a well-prepared newsroom and one that is caught off guard could be decisive for public trust. The program is an open invitation to Argentine journalists who want to be part of a more rigorous, more responsible, and more resilient information culture. Applications are now being accepted through the official form, and the original call for applications provides full details about eligibility, logistics, and the program structure. For reporters who have ever felt uncertain about how to verify a suspicious video, how to trace a viral rumor to its source, how to distinguish a genuine leak from a disinformation operation, or how to tell stories that cut through the noise, this program offers a concrete opportunity to build those skills. As the 2027 electoral cycle approaches, the need for clear, verified, and trustworthy information will only intensify. Programs like “EN CLAVE ELECTORAL” do not pretend to solve all those problems at once, but they represent a serious and timely investment in the people who will be on the front lines of the next election: the journalists of Argentina.