Poynter's MediaWise expanding fight against misinformation in Spanish

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Poynter expanding fight against Spanish-language misinformation

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios Poynter's digital literacy project MediaWise is broadening its training to battle online misinformation in Spanish. Why it matters: Per a Nielsen last year, Latinos spend more time than other groups on most social media apps and messaging, where poorly sourced information can go viral and Spanish-language misinformation often sits unchallenged. Only in recent months have advocacy groups been aggressive in the fight. Details: is offering a , an online course and a YouTube video series for Spanish speakers on how to spot misinformation and what to do about it.In mid-November, MediaWise is scheduled to speak to newly-elected Latino elected officials who will have won their Nov. 8 elections and will be providing them with tips on spotting misinformation and the dangers it poses.The project has also started — a free text message course helping voters spot online/social media election misinformation. The MediaWise en Español program, supported by the Google News Initiative, is trying to build off the nonprofit's effective .Noticias Telemundo is a partner in the Spanish-language project. Zoom out: by the Latino research firm Equis, reviewed by Axios, found YouTube played a significant role in convincing some Latino voters to support former President Trump in higher percentages than expected.Equis' Carlos Odio said many targeted Spanish-language videos posted on YouTube purporting to be news analyses coming from Latin America were filled with misinformation. Go deeper: to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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