In a press release, the diplomatic mission in Bogota disiminated a report by the so-called Digital News Association, which allegedly contains evidence that “Russia has trained more than a thousand content creators, journalists, or ‘influencers’ to spread disinformation in eight Latin American countries,” including Colombia.

The mission condemned the fact that several Latin American media outlets, including some from Colombia, echoed the alleged investigation “without modification or verification.” The report came to light in Colombia following an article published by the Spanish news agency EFE.

“It’s obvious at first glance that this is an organized campaign aimed at discrediting our country and the Russian media. No evidence is presented, only accusations are leveled: this is now the ‘standard’ for Western investigative journalism when the topic is related to Russia,” the statement emphasized.

It added that it is curious how a “phantom report,” produced by a little-known organization with a dubious reputation, was never published online.

“All the articles in the Colombian press are based exclusively on what EFE wrote. Following their blind faith in the veracity of what the Spanish agency published, the media in this country didn’t bother to thoroughly verify the facts, which are, in fact, fantasies with no connection to reality,” the statement explained.

“In European and North American countries, Western authorities have the administrative tools to simply prohibit the transmission and operation of media outlets like Russia Today or Sputnik within their national territory. In Latin America, they use other tactics and channels to defame these media outlets and our country,” it is said, thus urged people to follow Russia Today and Sputnik’s Spanish-language accounts for an alternative perspective on reality.

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