When the pandemic hit North America in 2020, Emmy-winning journalist Maritza Félix started a WhatsApp group to answer questions for friends and family on both sides of the border between Arizona and Mexico. What she assumed would be a short-lived project for people she knew has grown to encompass daily conversations on WhatsApp, original reporting for the web, newsletters, podcasts, a radio show and more. In this episode, Félix talks about the challenges of getting funding for a Spanish-language initiative on non-traditional platforms, learning to be an entrepreneur, and more.

Episode chapters:

(03:17) - How Conecta Arizona came about

(12:40) - Convincing funders to support Spanish-language media on non-traditional platforms

(21:51) - How Conecta Arizona uses WhatsApp to serve communities

(28:00) - Rigor and fact-checking in community conversations

(32:19) - Learning to think like an entrepreneur

(44:34) - Advice for non-Latino journalists serving Latino communities

(50:14) - Investing time in community as a seed for democracy

(54:21) - Rapid-fire questions

Visit https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ for show notes, links, transcripts and more.

 

Links:

• Maritza Félix: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Conecta Arizona: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Comadres al Aire podcast: web, Twitter

• Cruzando Líneas podcast

• Mentioned:

  • John S. Knight (JSK) Journalism Fellowships at Stanford: web, Twitter

  • Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership in Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY

  • Radio Bilingüe: web, Twitter

  • Conexión Migrante: web, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

  • Radio Ambulante podcast

  • De Eso No Se Habla podcast

  • Documented NY

  • Enlace Latino NC

  • Outlier Media

  • Southerly

  • Mendocino Voice

• Local News Matters: web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

• Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter