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Chinese media is rapidly becoming a key source of information on international developments for Latin American audiences, which has one of the world’s highest rates of social media use, making it fertile territory for fake news. While government-sponsored media from China receives generous support from state budgets and can offer extensive coverage of political events, high production costs limit trusted independent media outlets.
In light of this, the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has presented government-sponsored media in China with an opportunity to disseminate information about the pandemic that has undermined Western governments and spread post-Covid narratives in Latin America and the developing world. The central pillar of the narrative promoted in Latin America by China is the idea that its government is better fit to meet the challenges of the pandemic than liberal democracies.
The panellists examine how Chinese disinformation in Latin America is influencing the response to the pandemic:
How can Latin American societies combat fake news?
What is the Chinese government’s political or commercial agenda?
Are some Latin American governments complicit with China’s agenda?
What is the impact of fake news on democratic stability?