Jordi Wild has finally revealed who the two journalists are that he has hired for 'The Wild Project' to verify the statements of Pedro Sánchez, Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Ada Colau during their election interviews. They are Javier Collado Sánchez, weekend editor at Vozpópuli, and Iván Muñoz Sánchez, reporter at infoLibre, two professionals who have worked in different Spanish media outlets and who share university training at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
Seated in front of their computers, both verify the interviews of the three candidates who have agreed to be interviewed by Jordi Wild, coinciding with the start of the election campaign on 29N. Their job is to check the data provided by the candidates and to flag possible errors, both in the interviewees’ answers and in Wild’s own questions.
The content creator had announced on October 24 that he would have two independent verifiers, although he preferred to keep their names secret until the publication of the interviews. The decision fueled speculation on social media, where false identities circulated and accusations were made about supposed political connections of the professionals hired.
Javier Collado, journalist at Vozpópuli and doctor in Political History of the United States
Javier Collado Sánchez currently works as weekend editor at Vozpópuli, where he writes about national politics, the economy and international affairs. He previously worked at the newsrooms of Europa Press, elEconomista and El Español, among other media outlets, after completing academic training that he combined with his journalistic career.
He earned a degree in Journalism from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, completed a master’s in Political Analysis, and was awarded a doctorate, with the grade of cum laude, in Political and Social History of the United States. His specialization in American politics and international relations has also led him to university teaching.
In addition to his work at Vozpópuli, Collado is an associate professor at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and a collaborating professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). He teaches subjects related to international relations, foreign policy and democratization processes, an activity that he combines with current affairs reporting.
Iván Muñoz, reporter at infoLibre with experience in press, radio and communication
Iván Muñoz Sánchez, the second journalist selected by Wild, works at infoLibre’s editorial office, after having previously worked at El Español, República and Computer Hoy. A native of Madrid and trained in Journalism and Audiovisual Communication at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, he has developed much of his professional career covering breaking news, international information and sports.
His first jobs date back to Antena 3, where he began during the London 2012 Olympic Games. He later was a producer at Libertad FM and collaborated with different media outlets, before expanding his professional activity to corporate communication.
He has also worked for brands such as Decathlon and as a communication consultant. Muñoz currently combines his journalistic activity with teaching History and Geography, as well as publishing a personal newsletter. On social media he uses the name @IvanMusaz.
The rumors about the fact-checkers of Jordi Wild before their names were known
The identity of the two journalists had sparked controversy even before the interviews were released. After Santiago Abascal’s participation was canceled, messages began to circulate attributing the verification work to Carles Tamayo and Rocío Vidal, known as La Gata de Schrödinger.
Both denied having taken part. Maldita.es warned on Thursday, November 12, that there was no evidence to support those claims, some of which also attributed to them supposed links with the PSOE.
Information also circulated pointing to Newtral, the company founded by Ana Pastor, and to other journalists. El Confidencial Digital even published the names of Matías G. Rebolledo and David Ferré, although the presentation of Collado and Muñoz on the program has made it possible to identify the two professionals who are shown carrying out this role.
Wild had previously explained that the fact-checkers would not work to support his questions or any candidate’s responses, but to verify the facts. “They’re not on my side, but on the side of what’s true,” he said when announcing his incorporation.