This document summarizes innovative digital news organizations that are changing the journalistic landscape in Latin America. It profiles organizations like Animal Politico in Mexico, Ojo Publico in Peru, and Chequeado in Argentina that are pioneering new formats for investigative reporting and fact-checking. These native digital organizations are finding new audiences and business models outside the traditional media conglomerates that dominate the industry. The document also discusses collaborations between organizations and challenges around developing sustainable revenue streams.

1. Rockin’ the
news in Latam
How native digital organizations are
changing the journalistic landscape
PATRICIO CONTRERAS
School of Journalism, Alberto Hurtado University

2. PATRICIO CONTRERAS
School of Journalism Alberto Hurtado
University, Santiago, Chile.
Chief editor of puroperiodismo.cl
Co-founder of the Connecting Cities
Initiative.
Co-founder of ojoentinta.com
Email: pacontre@uahurtado.cl
Twitter/Instagram: @pfcontrerasv

3. News industry in
Latin America:
three trends

4. Property of news organizations is highly concentrated. In
Colombia, three media conglomerates account for 57% of
news audience in radio, internet and print media. In Chile,
two conglomerates concentrate 90% of newspapers and four
media groups own 70% of radio market.
1
“In my family when we
do not like a newspaper,
we buy it and then we
shut it down.”

5. Spain has a strong presence in the region. Prisa owns
media organizations in 23 countries. Telefónica owns more
than 30% of the Latin American telecommunications
market.
2

6. Expansion of the large Latin American media groups.
Globo (Brazil) is amongst the top 30 biggest media owners
in the world. Televisa (México) distributes TV content to
more than 50 countries worldwide.
3

7. Innovative Digital
News Organizations

8. MÉXICO

9. ANIMALPOLITICO.COM
Launched in 2009 as a Twitter account
named @pajaropolitico.
A year later it turned into a news
organization aimed for millenials. The
name changed to Animal Político.
To obtain financial independence,
Animal Político offers digital
consulting services. The Brand
extension Animal Gourmet attracted
new users and advertisers.

13. DANIEL
EILEMBERG
He is Daniel Eilemberg, the founder of Animal Político.
He was 31 at the time he started the Twitter account.
Now Eilemberg is the chief content officer at Fusion, a
millennial-focused news site in the U.S.

14. The worst mistake one can make is to
never try. Try, start with something
small, try the idea and once you have
proof that the idea is successful,
everything will flow.
DANIEL EILEMBERG
Founder and chairman of Animal Político

15. PERÚ

16. OJO-PUBLICO.COM
Launched in 2014 by former reporters
from the traditional newspaper El
Comercio.
Digital investigative reporting
organization, with focus on new
narratives.
It offers an increasingly rare cocktail:
relevant stories, true news, well
written texts and innovative
information tools.

17. This is once their recent stories: The war over water. It is
a feature story presented as a graphic novel. It was
inspired by the work of the ilustrator Joe Sacco.

18. Last year they released
this handbook for
digital investigative
reporters, with useful
information on where
to find data, how to
refine it, how to use it
in the reporting
process.

19. “Since Ojo Público was born, we have
experimented. And we do it because
we believe that it is necessary to bet
on new formats to reach new
audiences and because the digital
ecosystem permits investigative
journalism, not only to reveal, but to
know and approach its audience.”
NELLY LUNA
Co-founder of Ojo Público

20. ARGENTINA

21. CHEQUEADO.COM
Launched in 2010 by La Voz Pública
Foundation. Its founders are a doctor
in chemistry, a doctor in physics and
an economist.
It is the first Latin American fact-
checking initiative. Their 8-step
method has been exported to a dozen
of Latam news organizations.
“We work to reassess the truth and
raise the cost of lying.”

22. EXCHANGE
ZONE
BE A FACT CHECKER
REQUEST A FACT
CHECK
UPLOAD DATA

23. ACCOUNTABILITY
DOWNLOAD OUR
ANUAL ACCOUNTING
BALANCES
HOW WE DETERMINE
THE USE OF OUR
BUDGET

24. INCOME SOURCES
* PRIVATE DONORS
* BUSINESS SUPPORT
* WORKSHOPS
* INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION
PEOPLE WHO
DONATED MORE
THAN €1,800

25. “That we are one of the few fact-
checking projects in Latin America, even
in the entire southern hemisphere of
the planet, is something that we do not
want. That is why we are permanently
sharing our model in our portal, in
alliances and in training workshops for
journalists and students.”
LAURA ZOMMER
Executive director of Chequeado

26. A new survival trend:
collaboration.

27. Ojo-publico.com presents a
transnational investigation
prepared by teams of journalists
in five different countries. It
reveals the figures and the most
serious cases of trafficking of
cultural heritage in Latin
America, an activity that
connects antique dealers and
politicians in Buenos Aires to
drug lords in Guatemala, and
suspicious art collectors in
Mexico to diplomats in Costa
Rica and Peru.

28. Case study:
Las Raras Podcast

29. LASRARASPODCAST.COM
Las Raras (The Rare) is a podcast
produced by Catalina May, journalist,
and Martín Cruz, sound engineer, both
based in Chile.
Their stories are about people
challenging social impositions.
While they produce high quality
content, its founders are still searching
for a business model.

31. United we stand:
Sembra Media

33. SEMBRAMEDIA.ORG
A nonprofit organization dedicated to
find and connect Latin American
media entrepreneurs.
Through a directory, SembraMedia
showcases the growing landscape of
digital native news organizations in
the region.
One of its main goals: how to develop
sustainable business models.

34. “I don’t think any
journalist can
afford to be
completely
ignorant about the
business model.”
JANINE WARNER
Executive Director, SembraMedia

35. PATRICIO CONTRERAS
@pfcontrerasv
medium.com/@pfcontrerasv
pacontre@uahurtado.cl
patricio.f.contreras@gmail.com
Thanks for your attention

36. periodismo.uahurtado.cl
facebook.com/periodismouah @periodismouah