We’ll realize there’s no political journalism without tech journalism

Of the ten richest men in the world on Forbes’ December 2025 list, only two didn’t build their fortunes by running or founding a fully tech-driven company. They are the people who now shape how we think, how we have fun, how we vote, how the economy works, and ultimately whether the world moves forward or backward: Elon Musk (X), Larry Page (Alphabet), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Sergey Brin (Alphabet), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), and Michael Dell (Dell).

Today it’s impossible to separate technology from geopolitics, the economy, the climate crisis, extractivism and colonialism, corruption, mental health, or any issue that actually matters to democracies. In the United States and Europe, coverage of these topics has grown more sophisticated over the years, recognizing that Big Tech companies now hold a kind of power that needs to be monitored just as closely as political leaders — and often even more closely.

But in many other regions — especially in the Global South, including Latin America, where I live and work — there’s still no broad acknowledgment that one of the essential journalism beats of our time is covering Big Tech and understanding how these companies are reshaping our world.

In Latin America, this transformation is already obvious. Presidents in countries like Argentina and El Salvador have been tied to crypto scandals. Data centers across the region are worsening water shortages and polluting areas rich in biodiversity. Multinational companies seeking lithium and other rare earths are affecting protected natural areas and the territories of Indigenous communities. And with virtually no government regulation, children have no real digital privacy: there are babies whose parents create social-media accounts for them the day they’re born. Meanwhile, these same platforms have eroded the region’s overall health — from mental health to democratic and political stability.

Small independent outlets across Latin America are working hard to investigate these issues and act as watchdogs of these powerful, omnipresent companies. But it isn’t enough. Journalists and media owners in the Global South need to make this scrutiny a central part of our work, especially because our governments aren’t doing it — and show no sign that they plan to anytime soon.

To do that, we also need training, funding, and support from colleagues in the Global North. The few investigations that do happen in our region move forward despite legal threats — and sometimes physical ones — from tech companies and local leaders, as well as a general lack of interest from traditional media. What’s at stake isn’t just the health of our people, our environment, our democracy, and our economies. What’s at stake is the health of the entire world.