“Juntos Together,” a new DCCC campaign out to tackle vaccine misinformation in Hispanic communities
The digital information hub is designed to be easily shared across social media and features a number of quick facts and more about COVID-19.
In an attempt to push back against COVID-19 vaccine disinformation aimed at Latinos, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has launched a digital information hub called “Juntos Together,” intended to target the disinformation.
The hub contains colorful infographics and GIFS in both English and Spanish that are downloadable, shareable and embedded onto social media platforms for a “rapid response” to disinformation.
Many of the graphics directly address vaccinations and include numbers to text to find local places offering shots. Others advocate for President Joe Biden’s agenda and some of the Democratic legislation approved in Congress.
Some graphics also criticize Republicans and the lies that have been spread by some members of Congress about vaccines.
“They don’t protect your interests,” one of them said in Spanish.
Adrian Eng-Gastelum, a spokesperson for the DCCC told NBC News that there has been a lot of misinformation being spread on WhatsApp, such as anti-vaccine promotion, and other lies that “have no basis in fact that spread like wildfire.”
The @dccc is leading the charge and launching a first of its kind digital information hub housing dozens of English and Spanish language assets to give voters the tools to highlight Democrats wins and combat dangerous right-wing disinformation online. https://t.co/xM37ivf1Io
— Nebe Betre (@nebetre) September 15, 2021
Eng-Gastelum said that the website is accessible to everyone, but Democrats intend to make sure that organizers and activists make the graphics a part of their anti-disinformation tool kits.
The 2022 midterm election cycle is coming up and will gain more momentum in the next few months. Every House member is up for reelection, and some are in more competitive races than others.
Right now, Democrats hold a narrow majority in the House, 220-212, and this majority could be in danger, partly because midterm elections have a history of swinging towards the party not in power.
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The impact of disinformation on social media among Latino voters in the 2020 presidential election was undeniable, especially for Latinos in Florida.
WhatsApp group chats, Spanish-language radio stations + Facebook, it’s everywhere.
— Sabrina Rodríguez (@sabrod123) September 14, 2020
Florida Latinos are getting hit with a flood of wild conspiracy theories and disinformation. And it’s hurting Joe Biden in the nation’s biggest swing state. w/@MarcACaputohttps://t.co/XSHZrmZfbi
Last September, a Miami radio station, Actualidad Radio, interviewed a commentator who claimed that the true objective of the Black Lives Matter movement involves “brujería,” or witchcraft, and that a vote for Biden is a vote for that.
Jelena Buvat, a 55-year-old Venezuelan American teacher from Missouri told NBC News last year that she watched one of her good friends in Florida become infatuated with conspiracy theories and it got so bad that they hardly speak anymore.
Since the pandemic began, these theories have been popping up on Buvat’s friend’s social media feeds. Some theories state that wearing masks is a hoax, Biden wants to defund the police and that Rep. AOC was pushing fake news about children being held in cages.
Democrats consider this widespread disinformation to be responsible for higher shares of Hispanics voting for former President Donald Trump in Florida.
“This site will be consistently updated and will always be sending out the positive information and the truth in these graphics,” Eng-Gastelum said.
“Republicans are spreading disinformation at every turn. It’s dangerous for our communities and downright dangerous for our democracy. Democrats are committed to clearing the way,” DCCC wrote on Twitter.
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