VERDAD, a tool that helps journalists monitor Spanish-language radio broadcasts to spot misinformation and disinformation, has received a $350,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation to further extend its reach and capabilities.

Martina Guzmán, who developed the tool in collaboration with RJI and with the help of a previous MacArthur grant, said the grant will help VERDAD shine a light on sometimes overlooked sources of false information at a time when audiences are more inundated than ever with misleading and contradictory content.

“Facts matter,” said Guzmán, director of the Race & Justice Reporting Initiative at Wayne State University — where VERDAD is based — and director of community journalism at nonprofit local newsroom Planet Detroit. “They determine how people vote, and it’s so important to democracy to be able to tell facts from disinformation. By empowering journalists to track what is being said in Spanish-language broadcasts, VERDAD also empowers voters to make informed decisions.”

Emerging from Guzmán’s 2022 investigation of Russian propaganda spreading on Spanish-language radio, VERDAD transcribes and translates audio with AI to detect patterns of false information on multiple stations in more than a dozen states, 24 hours per day. With as many as 97% of Latinos in the U.S. listening to radio programming on a monthly basis, Guzmán said ignoring the impact of dubius information in Spanish-language broadcasts risks leaving a wide-open blind spot for bad actors to exploit.

The grant will allow Guzmán to add support for additional languages such as Arabic, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese, making the tool a more comprehensive monitor of non-English radio broadcasts. It will also fund features that enhance usability for journalists and enable real-time fact checking.

In addition, she expects the funds to help her bring the tool to more newsrooms around the country who seek to accurately map the origins and spread of misinformation and disinformation.

Even as the grant ushers VERDAD into a new stage of development and distribution, Guzmán’s work with RJI is not done. She will visit RJI in person on Feb. 24 to speak about VERDAD and model its use, and she remains in contact with RJI Director of Innovation Kat Duncan as the tool evolves.

“Kat has been such an important mentor — I’m on a call with her every month,” Guzmán said. “I’m so grateful for the collaboration with RJI and the opportunities it has created to get VERDAD into the hands of journalists.”

“VERDAD is already a powerhouse tool, scanning radio stations across the country to help journalists in their work,” Duncan added. “I’m excited to see how this additional support will help us expand and grow investigations into misinformation and disinformation in many more communities that need it.”

To learn more about VERDAD, click here.

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Cite this article

Fitzgerald, Austin  (2026, Jan. 22). VERDAD earns $350,000 MacArthur Grant to boost fight against disinformation. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved from: https://rjionline.org/news/verdad-earns-350000-macarthur-grant-to-boost-fight-against-disinformation/