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A fact-checking group's effort to inform Spanish speakers during an election year

Kids play outside a polling precinct, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Guadalupe, Ariz.
Ty ONeil
/
AP
Kids play outside a polling precinct, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Guadalupe, Ariz. Experts expect a surge of misinformation targeting Spanish-speaking voters with a high-stakes presidential election in the fall as candidates vie for support from the rapidly growing number of Latino voters.

Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris met for their contentious first presidential debate on Sept. 10. The candidates went head-to-head over their ideas for running the country, as well as pushing their views of their records and the problems faced by the nation.

With many statements and accusations being made, who’s giving accurate information?

That’s the focus of Factchequeado, a non-profit and non-partisan initiative that aims to empower Spanish-speaking communities against disinformation.

Factchequeado CEO Laura Zommer
Factchequeado
Factchequeado CEO Laura Zommer

The organization fact-checked the live televised debate.

Laura Zommer, CEO and co-founder of Factchequeado said that disinformation can take various forms, such as scams aimed at Spanish-speaking communities inside and outside the U.S.

“There are videos on TikTok saying it’s your last opportunity to go inside [migrate]," she said, referring to the last months of the Biden administration. "They use these disinformation narratives as a kind of booster of some scams.”

These videos can reach a large audience in no time on social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, where most of the Latino population receives their news. She says they’ll have people asking them whether or not these videos are true right after they go viral.

READ MORE: As the 2024 election nears, misinformation targeting Latinos gains attention

According to the 2020 census, out of over 21 million Florida residents, almost six million are Latino. That’s a 26.5% share of the population. Most live in South Florida.

This group also consists of people who are not proficient in English, which makes it harder for them to differentiate between what’s correct and incorrect.

"Not having information in their mother tongue ... can create barriers in the way of understanding some details of the complex migration procedures or electoral procedures in the 50 states," Zommer said.

One of the main topics Factchequeado focuses on is immigration and the influence of migrants.

During the debate former President Donald Trump’s pushed the claim that migrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, without specifically mentioning Haitians, although that is how these debunked claims have widely been reported.

“He said, 'They are coming, they are eating dogs, they are eating cats, they are eating the pets of the people living there' … that statement shows the main narrative that we are addressing during this election that is trying to present migrants as the ones bringing all the problems to the U.S.,” Zommer said.

Their main goal in the face of the upcoming election is to make enough information available in Spanish to not only combat disinformation, but to also fill in the gaps of relevant information in Spanish.

By filling these gaps in cultural knowledge, it becomes more difficult to jump in and present incorrect information.

When it comes to facing disinformation yourself, Zommer said it’s important to control your emotions.

“What we saw is that in general, the content that we are more open to share quickly is the one that affects us in a way that can create fear, extreme happiness, or surprise,” she said. “And then if you feel that with the content on social media, there is probably someone who wants to manipulate you.”

Factchequeado has a Whatsapp chatbot where you can send any picture or text it information and it will verify it for you. Text 646-873-6087, or message it online here.

Natu Tweh is WLRN's Morning Host.
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