When an error was spotted in the Spanish-language instructions for the capital city’s ballot, just before the November election, officials moved to correct it. Advocates have said the error underscores the language access issues many Connecticut residents face, and the different kinds of Spanish-language mis- and disinformation there are to tackle.

Former Rhode Island Secretary of State and Pell Center senior cybersecurity fellow Nellie Gorbea recently hosted a workshop for Latino elected officials in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, to address mis- dis- and malinformation.

This hour, we discuss the layered issue of Spanish-language mis- and disinformation, and the efforts to address it.

Nellie Gorbea joins us, along with UConn's Dr. Charles Venator, to discuss the important role state and local governments play, particularly as the 2024 election approaches. Plus, Madeleine Bair is the founding director of El Tímpano, a news outlet that recently trained over 100 Latino immigrants in disinformation defense.

GUESTS:

• Dr. Charles Venator: Faculty Director, UConn's Puerto Rican Studies Initiative; Director, El Instituto: Institute of Latino, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies

• Madeleine Bair: Founding Director, El Tímpano

• Nellie Gorbea: Visiting Senior Fellow on Cybersecurity, Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy; Former Secretary of State, Rhode Island

Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired December 7, 2023.

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