Over the past few years, journalists, media outlets, and others participating in Paraguay\u2019s public debate have faced campaigns of harassment, disinformation, and coordinated attacks on social media. These practices not only affect those directly targeted, but can also have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and participation in public life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Against this backdrop, Leonardo G\u00f3mez<\/strong> developed La Red Desinformante<\/em>, a journalistic investigation that, over the course of three years, traced the operation of a network of pages and pseudomedia outlets, their connections to communications agencies and political actors, as well as the resources used to sustain digital advertising campaigns. The first publication presenting the investigation\u2019s findings was published by the Paraguayan media outlet ABC Color<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drawing on advertising records from Meta and Google, public documents, contracts, judicial records, interviews, and other sources, the investigation identified 7,965 ads on Meta and 65 on Google<\/strong>, representing an investment of more than USD 472,000<\/strong> across 14 pages and pseudomedia outlets between October 2021 and May 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The investigation traces the evolution of pages such as Despierta Paraguay, Click Digital, Central Noticias, Sucia Pol\u00edtica,<\/em> and Centrados<\/em>, among others, and documents connections between these spaces, communications agencies, and actors linked to political campaigns. It also raises questions about the origin of the resources used to finance these operations and the contracting and transparency mechanisms involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the key findings concerns the impact of these campaigns on journalists. The analysis of Despierta Paraguay<\/em> identified 1,086 hostile mentions targeting 81 people and entities<\/strong>, 47% of whom were linked to the press and media. The investigation also identifies a gender dimension: although women accounted for 37.5% of the journalists mentioned, they were the targets of 60% of the attacks directed at journalists. Documented cases include attacks involving AI-manipulated content, such as fabricated audio recordings and images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The investigation also examines several instances of legal action and harassment that may affect the exercise of freedom of expression. Taken together, the findings shed light on how these networks operate and raise important challenges regarding transparency, platform accountability, and the protection of journalists and others participating in public debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n