About
This site is part of a broader project, conducted by The Engine Room and supported by Open Society Foundations, to contribute to building stronger, healthier information ecosystems in Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is a response to concerning trends we have been witnessing in relation to digital technologies’ role in shaping information ecosystems in Latin America and the Caribbean – from political polarization, to information disorder, to digital surveillance, to attacks on media and journalists.
It is also a reflection and exploration of how civil society across these regions has been working to build more robust information ecosystems.
Back in 2023, The Engine Room started working on a project to contribute to building stronger, healthier information ecosystems in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Supported by Open Society Foundations, we set out to figure out ways to support civil society organizations in navigating concerning trends related to digital technologies’ role in shaping information ecosystems in LAC – from political polarization, to information disorder, to digital surveillance, to attacks on media and journalists.
Since then, we looked into how civil society across these regions has been working to build more robust information ecosystems; facilitated numerous spaces for knowledge sharing across organizations from various countries; and provided hands-on tech and data support to dozens of groups working to restore information ecosystems.
After publishing the findings from the first phase of the project, we kept ourselves busy with a few things, including organizing a series of online events about restoring information ecosystems in LAC, hosting an in-person gathering in Santiago with journalists, activists and organizers; and finally preparing a this website with the findings, stories and collective visions documented throughout the project.
We hope that the findings, stories and collective visions documented here will be useful to all of those working on strengthening information ecosystems — civil society organizations, activist groups, journalists and others — not just in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also in other regions of the world.
About The Engine Room
The Engine Room is a non-profit organization that supports civil society to use technology and data in strategic, effective and responsible ways. Since 2011, we have worked with more than 800 organizations, big and small, from different corners of the globe, through partnerships and paid consultancies.
The content of this website is largely based on research conducted between September 2023 and March 2024, as well as the in-person event held in Santiago, Chile, in November 2024.
- Research and writing: Bárbara Paes, Olivia Johnson, Cristina Veléz Vieira
- Content adaptation and editing: Bárbara Paes, Helen Kilbey and Nathaly Espitia Diaz.
- Illustration: La Propia Agencia lapropiaagencia.com/
- Web design & development: Wholegrain Digital
- Website tech support: Brian Obilo
- Project Management: Jen Lynn
- Research review: Jeff Deutch, Paola Mosso
- Project Senior Advisor: Paola Mosso
- Website translation: Chloe Villalobos
- In-person event co-designer and facilitator: Candy Rodriguez
- In person event support: Barbara Paes, Denisse Albornoz, Paola Mosso, Candy Rodriguez and Nathaly Espitia Diaz
- In person practioners: Adriana Gonzalez, Agustina Paz, Aída Naxielly Espíndola, Bianca Pedrina, Denisse Menjívar, Desirée Yepez (who couldn’t attend in person, but whose work is always an inspiration!), Gisel Sánchez, Haydee Quijano, Indhira Suero, Karen Parrado, Laura Sofia Mejía and Maira Beirutti
A big shout out to the in person participants!
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
