In August 2024, we brought together a high-level group of 12 Latin American journalists in Costa Rica for a week of training on how to better investigate Big Tech companies. The sessions and activities at the Big Tech Investigation Lab were highly hands-on, and the immersive experience in Nosara allowed the group to bond beyond the workshop hours, strengthening their networks through personal connections.

0:00
/1:54

A glimpse of what happened at the Big Tech Investigation Lab 2024

The training was created and produced by CLIP and Núcleo, funded by Luminate Group and supported by Harmony Project.

Our selected fellows took part in a full scheduled agenda, but in a paradise location. The sessions covered important issues to boost the technology coverage in Latin America, such as:

  • "Investigating Big Tech is a necessity in Latin America" by Sérgio Spagnuolo (Núcleo) and José Luis Peñarredonda (CLIP);
  • "The Ingredients of an Impactful Investigation" by Julia Angwin (Proof News);
  • "Investigating Enshittification – Systems Thinking at the Intersection of Technology and Policy: Tools for Journalists" by Justin Hendrix (Tech Policy Press - NYU);
  • "Investigating AI and Media Manipulation – Journalistic Approaches to Covering the Effects of AI-Generated Media" by Justin Hendrix (Tech Policy Press - NYU);
  • "A small team's guide to impacting Big Tech" by Emanuel Maiberg (404 Media);
  • "The People Behind Big Tech: misinformation networks, big players and corporate politics in Latin America" by Natalia Viana (Agencia Publica)

And to bring those discussions to a practical level, the group worked hard on the proposed pitches and new investigation hypotheses that were brought up during the week, focusing on potential crossborder collaborations.

Beyond that, the group also joined lunches and dinners together, including a sunset pizza moment whilst getting to know one of the largest hanging bridge in Costa Rica.

"An environment with a lot of collaboration and empathy" - Daniela Dib (Mexico)
"We weren't just listening to the lectures, but we had the opportunity to exchange ideas with the others and to present our story ideas to them" - Laura Martins (Brazil)
"The dynamic here is that of a Latin American newsroom in which we get to work together, share ideas with colleagues and get to know their work process" - Liliana Pérez Elósegui (Mexico)
"I would summarize this experience as fantastic" - Monica Almeida (Ecuador)

Stay tuned for the Big Tech Investigation Lab 2025! More details coming soon.