When Democrat Yadira Carabeo won the 2022 race to represent Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, she had the narrowest margin of victory of any Democrat in the nation. This November, Caraveo faces another close race.
Caraveo’s Republican challenger, Gabe Evens, is also Latino. Evans is drawing on his experience as a farmer and his background in law enforcement and the military in his campaign.
In a district where about 40% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, the community will be crucial in determining the winner. And the Guardian reports that the fight over votes is being played out primarily on radio and social media, rather than on television or in town halls.
“(Latino voters) are listening to social media and the radio,” said Sonny Subia, Colorado volunteer state director for LULAC, the United Latin American Citizens League, the largest and oldest Hispanic organization in the United States.
In the 8th District, “people are not one-sided,” said Angell, Colorado strategy director for the Libre Initiative, a conservative group that mobilizes the Hispanic vote and puts the principle of limited government to the forefront.・Mr. Mellos says. “You have to advocate for yourself why you need their vote.”
Voting rights groups express concern over disinformation targeting U.S. Latinos In September, the U.S. Department of Justice said Russian state media spread disinformation about the general election to U.S. audiences, including “Hispanic” citizens. sabotaged the operation.
Nearly half of Latinos listen to news on the radio, and Latino immigrants are much more likely than U.S.-born Latinos to say they primarily listen to Spanish-language news.
A 2024 study by the Digital Democracy Institute found that Latinos are not necessarily more vulnerable to misinformation than other populations. However, the authors argue that there is a need for culturally appropriate information, particularly targeting more vulnerable subgroups such as Latinos, who are Spanish-dominant and consume more broadcast news and Spanish-language media. It was concluded that such information is necessary.
Disinformation uses “content that inspires our anger, frustration, and sometimes incredible hope,” said Laura Zommer, CEO and co-founder of Factchequeado, a Spanish-language fact-checking organization. .
Sometimes the purpose is to convince someone of a lie; other times, the purpose is to sow doubt, mistrust, or divide people. “Often the most successful disinformation has an element of truth and it’s taken out of context, or there’s an element of truth and it’s exaggerated,” she says.
Conversations heard on District 8 radio reflect growing tensions over immigration in the local Latino community. Stacey Zuniga, president of the Weld County Latino Coalition, said Latinos in the area are increasingly hearing insults in public. “I think there are problems on top of problems, such as extreme expressions of racism,” she said.
Callers and guests are often the source of misleading and inaccurate claims broadcast on the radio. A 2021 report that analyzed disinformation about Jan. 6 on four Spanish-language radio stations in South Florida found that hosts played a key role in explaining and correcting callers on the air. It turned out that. It is also important for broadcast stations to clearly distinguish between news corners and programs that broadcast opinions and commentary.
