Nonprofit Fuente Latina marked 13 years of aiding Spanish-language journalists and influencers in covering Israel and the Jewish world on Thursday, with a Bat Mitzvah-themed celebration in Miami.
Founded in 2012 in Jerusalem by CEO Leah Soibel to address a gap in access for foreign Hispanic journalists compared to English language counterparts, Fuente Latina was celebrated by 130 journalists, influencers, and Jewish community members across the hemisphere.
At the event, Soibel reflected on the diplomatic strain that Israel faced and antisemitism that afflicted Jewish communities worldwide.
Empowering journalists to tell culturally tailored stories
“Our mission is to ensure Latino journalists covering the region from abroad have timely access to facts so they can report what is truly happening on the ground and across the Jewish world,” Soibel said.
“With more than 600 million Spanish speakers worldwide and Latinos representing nearly 20 percent of the US population, this work is critical. Countries such as Iran, Qatar, and others actively disseminate disinformation in Spanish. Fuente Latina works to counter antisemitism by helping stop false narratives before they take hold and spread.”
Through its media fellowship program, Fuente Latina has brought over 655 journalists and influencers to Israel and connected them with Spanish-speaking officials, experts, and sources to enable their reporting.
“Fuente Latina empowers journalists to tell culturally tailored and linguistically relevant stories that matter to their diverse audiences,” Soibel said.
Following the October 7 Massacre, Fuente Latina facilitated interviews with survivors and rescued hostages, and also led media tours. The nonprofit also produced 10/7: Witnesses of Terror, a Spanish-language documentary on the 2023 Hamas-led pogrom in southern Israel. The film focused on the experiences of Israel's Spanish-speaking community.
Fuente Latina also recently created a student fellowship program, in which Latino journalism students are embedded with veteran reporters from US and Latin American outlets.