Where Did Latino Media Go?

Where do you get your news these days? And forgive me for being so straightforward, but it’s the heart of the matter. Where do you learn about government decisions, new laws, your taxes, gas prices, and the war in Iran? Maybe you’re like me, and you start the day with a news podcast to find out what level of apocalypse we’ve woken up to. You have two or three creators the algorithm threw your way, and who, as if by “magic,” align with all your viewpoints. Or maybe, as is increasingly the case, you have your favorite sources on Substack. Do you realize that neither The New York Times, CNN, nor Univision comes to mind?

This is not new.

I can’t speak for my white friends, but for Latinos and people of color, distrust of mainstream media is woven into our worldview. Especially if you grew up in places like Venezuela and saw once-familiar journalists silenced or forced to conform. Still, our hunger for information defines us, despite beliefs held by Anglo media investors.

Latinos are connected 24/7—and yes, both for the chisme and for the news that will determine the value of our hard-earned wages. And the numbers back up my argument. Latinos in the United States represent 20% of the population and more than 60 million people. The median age of our population is 31, and we over-index on streaming and social media while maintaining strong engagement with traditional formats.

What’s more, 87% of adult Latinos in the United States prefer to get their news from digital devices, including websites, social media, and podcasts. With purchasing power expected to reach $2.8 trillion this year, we are consumers who subscribe to an average of 3.9 streaming services, compared to 3.2 for non-Latinos.

We outpace general U.S. viewers on YouTube, Netflix, and Disney, and 71% of Latinos say they’d like to try emerging media at least once. We spend an average of 6 hours per day on social media, and we prefer YouTube (88%), Facebook (74%), Instagram (62%), TikTok (57%), and WhatsApp (56%). What’s more, 60% of Latino consumers say social media affects their buying decisions.

Yet, no one is talking to us.

And I don’t mean to say there aren’t those who want to do so—God bless Paola and Jorge Ramos, and the members of the Latino Media Consortium. There are those of us who are trying, against all odds, to speak to our community about what matters to them, to bring them the key information they need every day, and to survive in the process.

Today in the U.S., about 2.5 newsrooms close each week, and 2,400 journalists lose their jobs annually. The situation worsens depending on the administration. Brands and advertisers quickly abandon anything that could upset Wall Street, often pulling support from Latino-owned brands and long-standing newspapers.

And this is nothing new. Since at least 2014, magazines like LATINO Magazine, Hispanic Business, and Televisa have had to shut down or merge to survive. NBC Latino disappeared, USA Today’s “Hecho en USA” initiative didn’t last long either. And radio, Latinos’ favorite medium, is also disappearing. Just last December, Miami’s iconic Radio Mambi went off the air. Meanwhile, initiatives like Nueva Network are trying to carve out a niche in the market.

But the question remains: Who is speaking to Latinos? More importantly, how are they speaking to them?

“Latino media in the U.S. follows the blueprint of Anglo media and does a poor job of addressing the real issues concerning Latinos,” said Susanne Ramírez de Arellano, a veteran journalist and former news director of Univision Puerto Rico. “It frames the Latino community through an Anglo lens, as if we are monolithic, and seldom goes in depth about the realities of our home nations and what it truly means to be a US Latino.”

The answer seems to lie in the hybrid between independent journalists and content creators. “I think independent Latino journalists do a much better job. Paola Ramos—for example,” De Arellano adds. “Latino outlets tend to dumb down the news, turning it into infotainment. Maybe The Latino Newsletter—which aims higher. The issue is we need more Latino outlets that speak directly to our community, not through an Anglo filter.”

That is why the work of the Latino Media Consortium—focusing its approach on a “digital-first” and “multi-platform” strategy—is undoubtedly commendable. Just as commendable is the work of so many content creators who bring stories, origins, and perspectives out of obscurity—engaging millions of Latinos on social media, sparking discussions in the comments, or prompting silent nods in front of the screen.

So, where did Latino media go?

In 2019, a study by the City University of New York identified 624 Latino news media outlets operating in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. That included 244 newspapers, 181 TV stations, 89 web-based outlets, and 37 radio stations, of which 77% were in Spanish. Today, it is nearly impossible to verify the figures or assess the state of Latino media in the United States.

What we do know (firsthand, at that) is that the Latino audience does not trust Anglo media, and that industry revenue has plummeted by more than 50% over the last two decades. That money flows in as long as the content is light and benefits only a few, and talking about politics, immigration, and what truly matters to our community is a financial death sentence for many.

Finally, for the few of us left in the trenches to survive, we need to honor our community, give them the information they urgently need, and, in return, as an audience, we must all click the link in the bio of every Latino publication. Subscribe, comment, like, share. Because the risk is imminent: the gag may ultimately prevail, and silence could become permanent.