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鈥檚 giving accurate information?
That鈥檚 the focus of Factchequeado, a non-profit and non-partisan initiative that aims to empower Spanish-speaking communities against disinformation.
The organization 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.
鈥淭here are videos on TikTok saying it鈥檚 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.鈥�
These videos can reach a large audience in no time on social media and messaging platforms like , where most of the Latino population receives their news. She says they鈥檒l 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 , out of over 21 million Florida residents, almost six million are Latino. That鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淗e said, 'They are coming, they are eating dogs, they are eating cats, they are eating the pets of the people living there' 鈥� 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.,鈥� 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鈥檚 important to control your emotions.
鈥淲hat 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,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd then if you feel that with the content on social media, there is probably someone who wants to manipulate you.鈥�
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 .
