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Spanish misinformation: Talk radio in Miami, and FCC approves purchase of Radio Mambí

The latest on misinformation and disinformation on Spanish-language radio and social media this campaign season.

Good afternoon, everyone! I hope you got to share your fair share of turkey this Thanksgiving (or pernil, like in my case).

Following the Nov. 8 midterm elections, most of the results are in. Republicans won the U.S. House 220-213 and Democrats hold control of the Senate 50-49, while we await results for the Georgia runoff between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker, according to The New York Times.

It’s Lesley Cosme Torres again, here with the latest on Spanish-language disinformation in South Florida elections.

This week I’m featuring election-related misinformation being spread on Spanish-language talk shows in Miami leading up to and during the midterm elections, introducing the Miami Herald’s database tracking Spanish-language misinformation on talk-show radio and social media posts that has been made public, and looking at the FCC approving Latino Media Network to purchase Radio Mambí and 17 other stations in Hispanic markets, and at Twitter struggling to distinguish between fake accounts.

As always, If you read or hear anything you find misleading on Spanish-language radio or on social media via WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, or Twitter, email me.

Happy Friday! And enjoy your weekend.

Lesley

Lesley Cosme Torres
Lesley Cosme Torres

Misinformation on Spanish-language radio stations in Miami leading up to the midterm elections

The Miami Herald, along with Florida International University, has been listening to popular Miami Spanish-language talk radio programs La Poderosa, Americano Media, Radio Mambí, and Actualidad. From calling the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband a “telenovela” scripted by Democrats to insisting that liberals and Democrats are “socialists” or “Communists” bent on “destroying the country,” these radio stations seem to be leading the conversation on major GOP talking points, which includes a stream of misinformation promoted and unchallenged by program hosts.

For example, on Ninoska Perez Castellon’s afternoon show the day after the elections, a caller claimed that “Democrats have increased their efforts to ‘steal’ elections since the 2016 vote and have succeeded again,” according to Herald reporters Andres Viglucci and Joey Flechas. “That’s what these Democratic swindlers have created to steal the elections,” the unidentified male caller said, unchallenged by the host.

And in Miami, the effects of this information spread by radio and word-of-mouth is obvious. “It’s everywhere where you really see the insidious effects,” said Fernand Amandi, a Miami-based Democratic pollster. “For example, you have workers come to your house to assist you on a project, and you’re all of a sudden told that your thermostat has a microchip installed to help the Democrats collect information on you.”

The Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald, and researchers at FIU announce publicly available database tracking Spanish-language misinformation

Illustration of voters reading news on social media. Rachel Handley/rhandley@mcclatchy.com
Illustration of voters reading news on social media. Rachel Handley/rhandley@mcclatchy.com

Immigration, the pandemic, the Biden administration, voter fraud, and the threat of communism and socialism are all common themes being talked about on Spanish-language radio and social media. For the past couple of months, the Herald and FIU have worked on a database that is now public that takes a look at how political narratives are shaping South Florida’s Spanish-language media and whether those narratives influence a Republican shift in Hispanic politics in Miami-Dade County.

Our project is funded by Journalism Funding Partners, which has received support from the Knight Disinformation Fund at The Miami Foundation. The Herald retains editorial control of the content we publish.

FIU graduate students overseen by professors accomplish this by listening to Spanish-language radio programs based in Miami at specific times during the day and finding politically relevant content to study in a database on a platform designed by Global Voices. Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald reporters and editors review and edit those entries.

FCC says Latino Media Network can buy Radio Mambí

Miami’s Radio Mambí is one of 18 Spanish-language radio stations being purchased by the Latino Media Network. Radio Mambí
Miami’s Radio Mambí is one of 18 Spanish-language radio stations being purchased by the Latino Media Network. Radio Mambí

The FCC announced that newly formed media company, Latino Media Network, has been approved to purchase Miami’s Radio Mambí along with 17 other stations in majority Hispanic markets across the country. This move puts LMN one step closer to finalizing the $60 million deal. Following the announcement, an LMN spokesperson said the company will continue to “focus on creating a broadcast network that is owned by and made for our country’s rapidly growing Latino population.”

“As we move in 2023, we will be listening to the communities we serve to help build a multimedia network that inspires, informs and celebrates our unique Hispanidad,” the spokesperson added.

Because of LMN’s ties to Lakestar Finance, an entity related to George Soros, a billionaire who donates to progressive and left-leaning causes, there have been concerns that the new ownership is an attempt to silence conservative voices in Miami along with changing an institution built for the Cuban exile community. There was an attempt by a resident of Miami to block the sale, but the FCC said he didn’t follow the required procedures or provide enough evidence to support his allegations against the purchase.

Twitter struggles to navigate fake pages and verify accounts as new ownership rolls out

The headquarters of Twitter in San Francisco. JIM WILSON/NYT
The headquarters of Twitter in San Francisco. JIM WILSON/NYT

Various Twitter accounts have been impersonated by users who paid $7.99 a month for the Twitter Blue subscription for a verification check mark, making it harder to distinguish a fake account pretending to be an official governmental entity, McClatchy reporter Brooke Baitinger wrote. For example, a Washington State Emergency page lost its “official“ designation and offered advice for Twitter users on how to make sure you’re getting information from an official source and not a fake page.

Steps to making sure you’re following an official source:

  1. If it’s a government agency, make sure its Twitter account is linked to a .gov website.

  2. Check how old the account is and make sure it wasn’t created in the past year.

  3. If you Google the name of the agency you’re looking for, Google should provide the official Twitter account

  4. If you click on the blue check mark of an account’s page, a window pops up explaining whether the account’s verification was paid for via a Twitter Blue subscription or if its verified “because it’s notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.”

This newsletter is part of a project on misinformation in Spanish-language media by the Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald and researchers at Florida International University. It is funded by Journalism Funding Partners, which received support from the Knight Disinformation Fund at The Miami Foundation. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of the content.