Investigating Who’s Behind Fake News • Natalia Viana
In this masterclass video, Natalia Viana, co-founder and executive director of Agência Pública, Brazil’s largest nonprofit newsroom, shares her approach to investigating disinformation campaigns on social media.
From partnering with universities and social listening companies to trace how narratives spread, to identifying the real people behind fake accounts and networks, Viana explains why disinformation investigations must start with data but end with people. The video will help reporters understand why an entry point into every disinformation campaign is human, not digital, why following the money reveals the political and commercial incentives behind fake news, and why insiders who’ve left these operations are often the most valuable sources for understanding how they really work.
Links:
- https://apublica.org/2025/09/how-big-tech-killed-brazils-fake-news-bill/
- https://apublica.org/2023/08/80-dos-perfis-em-redes-sociais-responsaveis-por-espalhar-fake-news-continuam-ativos/
- https://apublica.org/2025/09/retrospectiva-jair-bolsonaro-completa-de-candidato-a-condenado/
Credits:
- Interview: Sarah Ulrich
- Video Editing: Quentin Egloff
- Music: Lionel Marçal
- Filming: Ron Lopez – Reynald Ramirez – Hashim Hakeem
- Supervision and Coordination: Sandrine Rigaud
- With the support of The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung