Gaby Fresquez, host of ‘Ya Tu Sabes!’ (YouTube)
Ahead of the midterm elections, on Friday CHC BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, launched Ya Tu Sabes!, a new YouTube show to provide Latino voters across the country with content that is entertaining, educational, and represents them culturally.
The new account is part of Our Lucha, a multi-scope initiative from CHC BOLD PAC, dedicated to combating the misinformation targeting Latinos—especially, as they said in a press release, the kind coming from the Republican Party, which led to the January 6th insurrection.
The digital content will be hosted by Los Angeles-born actress Gabriela Fresquez, known for appearing in TV commercials and hosting Radar 2020 for Noticias Telemundo.
With a tongue-in-cheek style and in English, Fresquez will address a wide range of topics from student loans to comparing how New Mexico and Texas are dealing with rising rent prices.
Every video will have a shorter summary in Spanish, and viewers will have the option to share the content directly with their networks through WhatsApp.
WELCOME TO YA TU SABES! https://t.co/tVVOvsfycP via @YouTube
— Gabriela Fresquez (@GabyFresquez) August 13, 2022
In the introductory video, Fresquez welcomes the audience with “¡Hola mi gente!” She then explains the purpose of the videos is to have thoughtful conversations about things that matter to Latinos, like the current economic downturn, while also proving wrong those friends and family members who, as Fresquez puts it, are “still waiting for the Moderna vaccine to turn me into a lizard person.”
Fresquez makes use of Spanglish to weave through heavy topics and light commentaries about Latino culture. She also uses common features of the culture, like how the smell of Vick VapoRub brings back memories of childhood, to talk about issues like access to healthcare.
This first video of Ya Tu Sabes! is a sample of what the production style will be, showcasing political content wrapped in entertainment.
In a press release, CHC BOLD PAC said that YouTube is the right platform to meet Latinos, since it is the social media platform where they spend the most time.
According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study, 85 percent of U.S. Latino adults say they spend their time on YouTube, a rate higher than those of their Black and white counterparts.
Social media is also the space where Latinos are more targeted with disinformation. CHC BOLD PAC wants to counter that with content that can help people disprove conspiracy theories while campaigning for the Latino vote.
According to a Nielsen report, Latinos tend to spend more time consuming content on social media than on regular TV, since social media is where they feel more represented. Latinos account for 19 percent of the U.S. population and yet on-screen Latino representation was just six percent across linear and streaming platforms in 2020. There was an increase in 2021, but it remains below 10 percent.
Seeing themselves portrayed in stories and characters is one of the main reasons for Latinos to consume content. For instance, according to the Nielsen study, in June 2021, Latinos accounted for 22 percent of the minutes streamed on Netflix, and 55 percent of Latinos say that streaming options have more content that is relevant to them.
However, it is in social media platforms where Latinos are more likely to be targeted with falsehoods. Misinformation that starts on English-language websites is sometimes translated to Spanish and inaccuracies are shared back through YouTube videos or messaging apps.
Ya Tu Sabes! wants to counteract this with content that Latinos can use to combat misinformation.
Other platforms that work to offer reliable information for Latinos are El Tímpano, a service that uses text messages to deliver local news in Spanish and fact-checked answers to questions sent by the subscribers. El Detector, a platform launched by Univision, also replies to audience questions and classifies content in a rank that goes from true to false, depending on having enough context or evidence.
The first official Ya Tu Sabes! video offers context and tips on “how to stimulate your economy by addressing topics like gas prices and the difficulties in accessing affordable housing.
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Juan de Dios Sánchez Jurado is a summer correspondent for Futuro Media. A writer, lawyer, and journalist from Colombia, he is currently studying at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. Twitter: @diosexmaquina
