During Hispanic Heritage Month, we reflect on the richness and diversity of Latino communities. From Knight’s vantage, it’s also a crucial moment to recognize the vital role of Spanish-language local news outlets in serving these communities—and the growing infrastructure designed to support them. With approximately 45 million people in the U.S. speaking Spanish as their primary language, and even more as bilingual speakers, Spanish-language media has never been more essential.
Yet, despite their deep roots and reach, these outlets have historically operated with limited access to philanthropic support and digital infrastructure. That’s beginning to change. In Knight communities, we are seeing strong Spanish-language news outlets such as La Noticia in Charlotte and Planeta Venus in Wichita, Kansas. And MacArthur Foundation hosted a Spanish-language infrastructure summit at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) conference in July.
Many Latino-owned and operated outlets are connecting to a growing web of capacity-building resources and tools.
Growing support for Spanish-language outlets
We wanted to highlight some of those organizations and resources:
A number of organizations are stepping in to meet the moment. The Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA), for example, focuses on civic engagement and trust-building in Latino communities. Altavoz Lab mentors, trains, and uplifts local reporters to produce impactful accountability and service-oriented reporting projects. Meanwhile, the Latino Media Initiative at CUNY’s Center for Community Media supports Latino publishers by driving investment and providing tools for long-term growth.
For sustainability and revenue generation, outlets can look to the Latino Media Consortium, which supports digital publishers by facilitating meaningful investment and providing tools for long-term growth. URL Media, a network of high-performing Black and Brown media organizations, offers shared infrastructure for distribution, content sharing, and advertising. LatidoBeat is a coalition of premier local Spanish-language news organizations, united to amplify diverse Latino voices.
Capacity-building remains a top priority. Both the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) offer a broad range of professional development opportunities, training programs, and networking. Members of the NAHP collectively reach more than 15 million Latino readers weekly, the majority of whom are Spanish-dominant or bilingual.
For those working in digital publishing, tools such as Newspack (WordPress’s publishing platform for newsrooms) can offer critical support—though it’s important to acknowledge and address potential language barriers in onboarding and use. Trusting News also has Spanish-language resources for newsrooms, including trust-building strategies and trust kits.
For outlets addressing misinformation in Latino communities, there are also specialized partners. Factchequeado is a collaborative, nonpartisan nonprofit tackling Spanish-language misinformation head-on. Similarly, VERDAD, a project designed to track disinformation in Spanish-language radio, gives journalists powerful tools to investigate content targeting immigrant and minority communities through trusted media sources.
The Spanish-language news ecosystem is vibrant, resilient and increasingly uplifted by a growing array of partners and tools. We’re encouraged to see technologists, researchers, and funders recognizing the importance of these outlets. Together, they are helping to bring into focus the possibility of building a more comprehensive and sustainable local news landscape, one that ensures Latino communities have access to the information they need to thrive.
This article was originally published on newsatknight.substack.com
Find this article in Spanish here.