Connecting with Your Spanish-Speaking Audience
Last week (Nov 28- 30, 2022), the Knight Foundation hosted its hybrid conference Informed: Conversations on Democracy in the Digital Age. Knight organizers invited panelists who are journalists, policymakers, academics, government (US) officials, and a few very credible provocateurs. All of the sessions are fantastic, and you can watch them here. But one session taught me more than the rest: Addressing Spanish-language Disinformation, featuring the Honorable Nellie Gorbea, Secretary of State in Rhode Island, and Javier Marin, CEO of El Planeta Media. If any part of your audience is Spanish-speaking, I urge you to carve out 41 minutes and 33 seconds to watch the entire conversation. Here are some of the things I learned:
#1: The U.S. Latino Population is Large and Economically Powerful
If U.S. Latinos were an independent country, its gross domestic product ($2.8 trillion) would rank fifth in the world, surpassing that of the United Kingdom, India, and France, according to a Sep 2022 study by the Latino Donor Collaborative in partnership with Wells Fargo. Read/watch the Yahoo! Finance coverage here. Is your nonprofit doing enough to engage U.S. Latinos as donors of and partners in your work?
#2: social Platforms Treat English- & Spanish-language Sources Differently
Marin talks extensively about how algorithms on Google and other platforms do a pretty good job of amplifying reputable English-language information sources. But he says that the same News search terms, in Spanish, routinely return mis/disinformation and clickbait. Read this October 2022 article from the International Center for Journalists, or read this September 2021 analysis from Univision. Is your nonprofit listening to the same information-streams as your U.S. Latino clients, customers, and donors?
#3: U.S. Latinos Need More Trusted and Trustworthy Sources of Information
OK – this isn’t just a Spanish-language problem, but Secretary Gorbea points frequently to the good work of NALEO - the National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials. That organization has been working with its membership and community partners to correct the record with U.S. Latinos on such critical issues as census engagement, COVID education, and voter participation. The NALEO Education Fund develops issues-related tools for community use. Does your Spanish-speaking community turn to your nonprofit as a trusted source for news and information about your cause? Is there more you can do in this area?
Every nonprofit (and nonprofit consultant) should be investing now in building cultural competency, multilingual resources, and diverse viewpoints with and within our communities. If you and your nonprofit have something to teach the rest of us on this front, I hope you’ll be in touch!
