Poynter shows us once again how the mainstream media misunderstood Latino voters -

Now largely forgotten, Madison Square Garden seemed like it might become one of history’s great moments just ten days prior to the presidential election, when viewers or readers might have believed the race for president had ended. Tony Hinchcliffe made headlines this past Wednesday during his speech-slash-stand up routine at Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden (MSG), calling Puerto Rico “an island full of garbage”. At that event, there were plenty of offensive remarks, but Donald Trump’s racist “garbage” comment made headlines that made readers believe his election had changed and any hope with Latino voters had evaporated completely. Tuesday night’s election results brought to light an unexpected development: while Donald Trump lost overall Latino vote share to Vice President Kamala Harris, according to national exit poll data he saw an unprecedented 13 point spike from 2020 as his Latino share increased exponentially – setting an all-time Republican presidential nominee record! As reporters diligently documented Donald Trump’s insults and rhetoric while campaigning, media accounts highlighted his immigration and mass deportation plans as game-changers (or “game over”) for Latino voters. Latino voters ultimately demonstrated across the country, including in many key swing-state districts, that they overwhelmingly believe Donald Trump’s presidential presidency will better suit their interests than a Harris presidency. News organizations’ representations of Latino priorities were inaccurate while making assumptions as to their reactions or feelings toward President Donald Trump’s immigration plans, particularly his use of garbage jokes as leverage against them. This “garbage” joke became the last straw. Election results highlight how media coverage of this community was incomplete and inaccurate, especially during this election cycle. We should start here: the term “Latino vote” has long failed to capture its true essence. Samuel Belilty, former Univision executive who currently hosts “Sentido Comun” (translated: Common Sense), reports: “Latinos continue to be mistreated as one homogenous voting bloc that disregards their unique qualities.” “Mainstream media sometimes forgets the perspective of Mexican Latinos who view life differently from Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Venezuelans or Colombians,” according to his observations. “A newly naturalized U.S. citizen living in Florida may prioritize different issues than an established Latino in San Antonio, Texas; yet both fall under the rubric ‘Latino.'” According to a report released by the Pew Research Center, Latinos make up half of newly eligible voters since 2020 presidential election and represent nearly 15% of national electorate. Pew reported this election cycle that economic issues topped their list, followed by health care, violent crime and gun policy policies. Belilty noted, that this shift appeared to have gone underreported or was difficult to comprehend because reporting had assumed this demographic would vote Democratic as before. “Media outlets appeared taken aback by Latino support for Donald Trump, perhaps due to an oversight or unwillingness on their part to recognize Latino voters as an influential voting bloc. So who’s getting it right and what can mainstream media learn from Latino support for Trump?” An important key to understanding Latino audiences and accurately representing and covering this population may lie outside traditional media – in social media where most Latino audiences reside today. Benjamin Zamora of independent journalist track the national pulse in Latino communities nationwide. When “garbage joke” went viral, Zamora saw its impact differently from mainstream outlets. Zamora highlighted how Latinos in general were not surprised at Trump’s comments because he made similar ones about Mexicans two years prior, who they often feel mistreated by society and government alike. Latino Trump supporters I spoke with noted their decision was less driven by rhetoric but more by economic promises when selecting him as their candidate of choice. I met Zamora around 15 years ago when he interned at Telemundo station where I worked in El Paso. At an early age, Zamora demonstrated exceptional talent and initiative that soon led him into roles such as reporter, anchor, news director and executive producer in major news markets such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas. Unfortunately in January he decided to step away from Telemundo KBLR-TV Vegas as news anchor despite promising prospects there. He explained it wasn’t an easy choice but eventually realized most of his audience could be found online and decided he needed to establish himself there – today he boasts over 7.5 million followers across his platforms! “Never did I imagine reporting news on social media would lead to such an exciting career opportunity!” stated this reporter. Zamora reports his TikTok account – in which he creates video reports against a green background while regularly engaging with viewers’ comments – has garnered over 1.7 billion views in one year. His viral TikTok post came when he revealed news of Pope Francis removing from priesthood a Latino Catholic priest. According to him, this requires dedication and consistency: the secret is simple but requires sacrifice he said. “Since beginning this project, I have not stopped informing the community–including weekends and vacation periods!–in every possible way. When necessary, journalists cover for me during absences.” My audience trusts that when there’s news, Zamora will be there to inform them, even at midnight! Through his self-made productions and social media efforts, he has developed strong bonds with those whom he covers: “I feel much closer to them now than ever before!” At least three times each week I try to go live to talk to our viewers live, read their comments, and answer their queries.” When I spoke with Zamora over the phone Wednesday morning after Election Day he was waiting at his gate in Nevada in order to board his flight from there to Washington D.C. Shortly thereafter, Zamora pulled out his camera and recorded a video on his feed responding to one of his followers’ inquiries regarding birthright citizenship abolition. That is how journalists like him differ from mainstream media outlets: by producing content themselves. Sometimes the narrative doesn’t need to center around grand concepts like race or immigration rhetoric; sometimes the focus should instead be on local, personal issues and everyday concerns that communities face every day. An engaged audience not only pays attention, but they see themselves represented and actively join in conversations about topics of importance to them. Latinos might not be easily polled, tracked or influenced as easily due to one key reason: They do not have one central source for information such as newspapers for older Americans and Joe Rogan podcast for young white American males. “For national networks broadcasting in Spanish, particularly Mexican-origin Latinos are an especially daunting challenge,” stated Belilty. The general approach has been to prioritize Mexican-origin Latinos as the majority presence within America’s Latino communities. But when mainstream media treat an arepa as though it were a tortilla, that presents us with a problem. One adjustment media outlets might make is to delve deeper into local communities through both social media and traditional local reporting in order to better comprehend who makes up that community of Latino voters living there. News organizations will benefit by better covering issues that matter most to their audiences, which in turn might influence politicians into taking steps that reflect those issues and are important for voters – something one racist joke likely cannot achieve.