She stated they will listen to us because of the music, but our main goal is to empower and educate through information. “Music is a tactic to bring them in.” Radio Campesina's on-air talent and musical guests analyze misconceptions, answer listeners' voting questions, teach them to recognize misinformation, and teach them how to submit mail-in ballots. The station has held rodeos and concerts to register new voters and discuss falsehoods.
They let listeners call or text questions on WhatsApp, a popular immigrant social media app where disinformation thrives. The station hosted an on-air broadcast and voter phone bank with Latino advocacy group Mi Familia Vota in March to answer voter questions
“We know that there are many people who are unmotivated because sometimes we come from countries where, when it comes to elections, we don't trust the vote,” said Carolina Rodriguez-Greer, Arizona director of Mi Familia Vota, before discussing ballot tracking on the show.
After seeing candidates like former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake disseminate electoral lies in 2022, Rodriguez-Greer said the organization began working with Spanish media to counter disinformation. Lake is running for Senate with Trump's support.
One way to combat this misinformation is to fill the airways with good information,” said Mi Familia Vota national deputy director of campaigns and programs Angelica Razo. In Tempe, Brian Garcia listens to Radio Campesina on his way to work. As a child, the station played while his dad cooked dinner and his family ate. He said his family relied on it and is enthusiastic about its election misinformation tactics.
Few groups or individuals fight misinformation and disinformation on Spanish-language media, he said. I think serving as a resource and trusted source in the Latino community that has created those ties will go far.” Numerous community and media groups prioritize the seemingly endless fight against misinformation.
She calls her mother the “Queen of WhatsApp.” Maritza Félix fact-checked falsehoods. Félix did the same for relatives and friends in a WhatsApp group that became Conecta Arizona, a Spanish news nonprofit. It now hosts a radio show and newsletter debunking election, health, immigration, and border politics myths. Conecta Arizona fights misinformation regarding the Mexican presidential election that Félix says is spreading across the border.
University of Houston associate professor of political science Jeronimo Cortina studies national and local misinformation narratives targeting Spanish-speaking populations and the state's rapidly rising Latino electorate. That includes falsehoods about candidates' renewable energy proposals stealing Texas oil and gas jobs and about migrants flooding the border. “You won’t see the same content targeting Latinos in Texas compared to Iowa,” he said.
This has expanded the number of NGOs fighting Latino disinformation. NALEO Educational Fund's Defiende La Verdad campaign trains community leaders to recognize disinformation. The We Are Más podcast in Florida addresses Spanish-language misinformation locally and globally, according to founder Evelyn Pérez-Verdía. New voters are registered by Texas Latino advocacy group Jolt Action, which helps them understand falsehoods.
Factchequeado is partnering with hundreds of media sources nationwide to provide training and free Spanish fact-checking content. Disinformation is global and hyperlocal, said Factchequeado co-founder Laura Zommer. We must confront it with local and national groups working together.”
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