Disinformation Campaigns Target Latino Voters

RIGHT NOW. THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE LATINO VOTERS HAS INCREASED CONSIDERABLY SINCE THE 2020 ELECTION. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER. IT SAYS THERE WILL BE 36 MILLION POTENTIAL HISPANIC VOTERS THIS NOVEMBER, A JUMP OF 4 MILLION PEOPLE. THE LATINO COMMUNITY MAKES UP AROUND 15% OF ALL ELIGIBLE VOTERS AND, NOT SURPRISINGLY, POLITICAL CANDIDATES AND THEIR SUPPORTERS ARE COURTING THAT SIZABLE POPULATION. A LOT OF THAT IS BEING DONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THE PRIME SOURCE OF NEWS FOR 21% OF HISPANIC ADULTS IN THE US. THAT OPENS UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SPREAD OF DISINFORMATION. RANDY ABREU IS POLICY COUNSEL FOR THE NATIONAL HISPANIC MEDIA COALITION. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN STUDIO. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. PLEASURE TO BE HERE. SO 21% OF HISPANIC ADULTS, WE NOTE, GETS THEIR NEWS PRIMARILY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA. THAT NUMBER IS MORE THAN DOUBLE IF YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE WHITE POPULATION THEN WHY IS DISINFORMATION OFTEN SUCH A BIG ISSUE IN THE LATINO POPULATION? WHAT WE SEE FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS IS A LACK OF CONTENT MODERATION AND FACT CHECKING. THERE ARE LANGUAGE GAP BARRIERS THAT INADEQUACY FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS CREATES A SENSE OF VULNERABILITY AND AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS HOSTILE TO SPANISH SPEAKERS ONLINE IS THAT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE BARRIER THAT THEY’RE JUST MISSING THE ABILITY TO TO MANAGE AND MONITOR IT, OR WOULD YOU SAY THAT’S ACROSS THE BOARD? WELL, IT’S ACROSS THE BOARD IN TERMS OF ALL LANGUAGES THAT ARE NOT ENGLISH, AND IN SPANISH IN PARTICULAR, WE’RE NOT SEEING AN INVESTMENT IN CONTENT MODERATORS WHO ARE FLUENT IN SPANISH AND FLUENT IN THE DIFFERENT DIALECTS OF THE SPANISH SPEAKERS. AS WE KNOW, LATINOS ARE NOT A MONOLITH. WE HAVE OUR OWN DIALECTS FROM THE CARIBBEAN, SOUTH AMERICA, MEXICO. SO IF AN ENGLISH YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC TERM THAT, YOU KNOW, TRIGGERS THIS INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS, YOU CAN’T EASILY TRANSLATE THAT DIRECTLY INTO SPANISH. THIS SEEMS LIKE A CONCERTED EFFORT WHEN IT COMES TO DISINFORMATION AGAINST SPANISH SPEAKERS. AND WHEN YOU SAY A CONCERTED EFFORT, WHAT IS THE GIST OF THE MESSAGE? WE THINK DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGNS AGAINST LATINOS SAYING THAT THEY’RE RECEIVING ALL THE BENEFITS AS THEY COME INTO THE COUNTRY, AND THESE ARE BEING DIRECTED AT LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES, MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITIES, TO TRY TO DIVIDE AND SOW WEDGES IN SOCIETY. AND THEN WE ALSO SEE A SOWING OF DIVISION IN TERMS OF DISTRUST AND AUTHORITY. THE GOVERNMENT IS MANIPULATE THE ELECTIONS. THE GOVERNMENT IS ACTING AS A DICTATORIAL BANANA REPUBLIC. THESE ARE SPECIFIC CAMPAIGNS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO SPANISH SPEAKERS BECAUSE WE COME FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE A HISTORY. IF YOU COME FROM VENEZUELA OR CUBA AND AND YOU HEAR ON A DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN, THEY’RE RUNNING LIKE A BANANA REPUBLIC. IT’S GOING TO EVOKE A CERTAIN RESPONSE FROM FOLKS THAT COME FROM THESE COUNTRIES. SO THEN WHAT’S THE STRATEGY? I MEAN, YOU CAN’T JUST SAY, OH, YOU PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THIS, LOOK AT YOUR SOWING SOCIETAL DISTRUST. PLEASE STOP. WHAT WE’RE SEEING THAT IS EFFECTIVE IS COMING TOGETHER AS COLLECTIVES AND THE COALITION TO COMBAT THIS INFORMATION, WHETHER IT IS MONITORING THE DISINFORMATION, REPORTING OUT THE DISINFORMATION THAT WE’RE SEEING, THAT’S A SUBSECT OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO. SOME PLATFORMS ARE IMPLEMENTING POLICIES WHERE IF, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU SEARCH FOR RIGGED ELECTION OR ELECTION FRAUD ON, SAY, TIKTOK, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOU’LL SEE A BANNER COME UP WITH MORE INFORMATION. BUT TRANSLATE IT TO SPANISH. THE BANNER DOESN’T COME UP. THE CRITICAL INFORMATION, THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DOESN’T APPEAR TO WHAT DEGREE DOES AN INDIVIDUAL HAVE TO MANAGE THE INCOMING MISINFORMATION? I BELIEVE IT’S UNFAIR TO PUT THE ENTIRE ONUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL. THE KEY HERE IS TO ENGAGE FOLKS AND BUILD UP A SOCIETY THAT’S CRITICALLY THINKING ABOUT THIS. GET INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES. DON’T LOOK AT THE FIRST THING YOU SEE ONLINE AND TAKE IT AS FACT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU GET THE SENSE THAT IT’S INVOKING A SERIOUS EMOTIONAL REACTION FROM YOU. THAT’S A GOOD TIME TO TO LOOK AND THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT THIS DISINFORMATION. THERE’S A RESPONSIBILITY AND AN ONUS ON PLATFORMS TO ENHANCE THEIR CONTENT MODERATION AND THEIR FACT CHECKING PRACTICES. AND ULTIMATELY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF INDUSTRY CAN’T GET IT RIGHT, THAT LEAVES THE DOOR OPEN FOR GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT REGULATIONS AND LAWS. BRANDI ABREU IS WITH THE NATIONAL HISPANIC MEDIA