Ama Llulla is a fact-checking network comprising multiple

independent journalism Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

organizations that was created to combat

disinformation Disinformation is false information deliberately spread to deceive people. It is sometimes confused with misinformation, which is false information but is not deliberate. The English word ''disinformation'' comes from the application of the ...

within

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. The group primarily focuses on verifying information disseminated by political groups and social media while also providing truthful information to indigenous groups in the nation.

History

The term "ama llulla" or "''don't lie''" is derived from the

ethical code Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of b ...

"Ama sua, ama llulla, ama quella" or "''don't steal, don't lie, don't be lazy''" that is popular among Quechuan speaking individuals found in Peru. This term was adopted by the fact-checking organization. Inspired by other fact-checking groups such as Verificado of Mexico, Reverso of Argentina and Comprobado of Spain, Ama Llulla was created on 17 January 2021 in collaboration with the

United Nations Development Program The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human de ...

to detect and fact-check disinformation disseminated in the months leading to the

2021 Peruvian general election General elections were held in Peru on 11 April 2021. The presidential election, which determined the president and the vice presidents, required a run-off between the two top candidates, which was held on 6 June. The congressional elections det ...

. The network is made of Peruvian independent journalism websites including

OjoPúblico OjoPúblico is a Peruvian investigative journalism website founded in 2014 by journalists Oscar Castilla Contreras, Nelly Luna Amancio, David Hidalgo and Fabiola Torres, as well as the programmer Antonio Cucho. It investigates issues concerning ...

and

IDL-Reporteros IDL-Reporteros is an online newspaper based in Lima, Peru, that specializes in investigative journalism against corruption in Peru and to promote transparency with the nation. Since its founding, the newspaper has initiated over 500 investigation ...

alongside eight regional radio stations within Peru.

Services

Inclusion

Information provided by Ama Llulla is presented in

Asháninka The Asháninka or Asháninca are an indigenous people living in the rainforests of Peru and in the State of Acre, Brazil. Their ancestral lands are in the forests of Junín, Pasco, Huánuco and part of Ucayali in Peru. Population The Ash� ...

Quechuan Quechua (, ; ), usually called ("people's language") in Quechuan languages, is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most w ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

languages. The main

target audience A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message catered specifically to said intended audience. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumer within the predetermined ...

are vulnerable populations in Peru, with the network granting indigenous peoples, women and the younger voters both accurate information and increased inclusion in political participation. Programming is also developed based on the location of Ama Llulla's audience; for populations living in remote areas podcasts are recorded to be replayed on local radio stations while those living in urban areas are provided digital audiovisual productions made of videos and illustrations. A virtual newsroom is also hosted by OjoPúblico for journalists from other websites.

Social media

Disinformation disseminated on social media is targeted for verification by Ama Llulla. According to the network, rapid messages spread through

WhatsApp WhatsApp (also called WhatsApp Messenger) is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by American company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). It allows user ...

are one of the fastest routes of disinformation in Peru.

Workshops

In order to establish improved

media literacy Media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy that includes the ability to access and analyze media messages as well as create, reflect and take action, using the power of information and communication to make a difference in the w ...

in Peru, Ama Llulla has collaborated with universities to create workshops to educate the public and students on critical thinking and verification methods that can be utilized when participating in

public discourse The public sphere (german: Öffentlichkeit) is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action. A "Public" is "of or concerning the ...

Support

Ama Llulla is partially funded by the

Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) ( es, link=no, Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo) is a Spanish autonomous agency responsible for the management of the Government internationa ...

and the

Controversy

The network has been targeted by

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of bein ...

groups in Peru. Shortly after the Ama Llulla's founding, a far-right group created a fake Facebook page intended to trick readers and promote disinformation. The group targeted President

Francisco Sagasti Francisco Rafael Sagasti Hochhausler OSP ( (); born 10 October 1944) is a Peruvian engineer, academic, and author who served as the President of Peru from November 2020 to July 2021. Sagasti has worked as an advisor for economic development at ...

, the

Purple Party The Purple Party ( es, Partido Morado, PM) is a centrist, liberal and progressive Peruvian political party. The color purple was chosen to represent the blending of red and blue, the colors of left and right-wing parties in Peru, symbolizing th ...

and the

Together for Peru Together for Peru ( es, Juntos por el Perú) is a Peruvian centre-left to left-wing political coalition founded with the incumbent registration of the Peruvian Humanist Party. Formally a registered political party, the coalition participated in ...

party while it promoted the TV channel

Willax Televisión Willax Televisión (commonly known as Willax, from Quechua ''willaq'' ‘narrator, informant’) is a Peruvian television channel. It began as an internet channel in 2010 with a television channel launching later that year. History Willax wa ...

and Manifiesto Perú website.

References

{{reflist Fact-checking websites Skepticism