"Every 30 Seconds" Project to Trace Young Latino Electorate

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

"The World," the daily global news and analysis program from PRX, WGBH, and the BBC, has announced "Every 30 Seconds," a collaborative public media reporting project tracing the young Latino electorate ahead of the 2020 national election.

Funded by a $300,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, "Every 30 Seconds" will report on the issues, influences, concerns, and challenges driving decision-making and turnout among young Latino voters across the United States. According to a recent count, approximately every 30 seconds, a Latino citizen in the United States reaches voting age (18). Further, 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in 2020, up from 2016 and now one of the largest shares of nonwhite voters. Through deep engagement within communities and among Latino voters, "Every 30 Seconds" will delve into the complexities of demographics, language, law, and inequities within political systems.

This year-long project will launch in February with regular broadcasts on "The World" accompanied by digital components. From its newsroom in Boston, "The World" and Senior Editor Daisy Contreras will lead production of stories for national broadcast in partnership with public radio stations across the country. Digital Editor Tania Karas will lead production of digital stories and interactives.

"As citizens prepare to partake in our democratic process, this project is one of several CPB is supporting to further diversity and civility in our nation's dialogue," said Kathy Merritt, senior vice president of Journalism and Radio at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "‘Every 30 Seconds' will also build journalism capacity at local public radio stations by connecting station partners to editing and story-planning training with 'The World' and PRX."

"The 2020 election will be consequential, and it's imperative that we report the story of our country at this moment in time in a way that best serves listeners," Contreras said. "With reporting from coast to coast, ‘Every 30 Seconds' will amplify stories while illuminating issues we hope will deepen understanding of our democracy."

"'The World' brings listeners nuanced storytelling that goes beyond the headlines," said John Barth, chief content officer at PRX. "When we're at our best, we put the personal and local, national and global, all in perspective, across borders and time zones. In this spirit, we're thrilled to collaborate with our station colleagues on election-year reporting that won't be heard elsewhere, and we're grateful to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for their support."