Latino News Network Pivots Focus To Social Determinants Of Health

Hugo Balta

COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the United States Latino community. The pandemic devastated the community’s health primarily because of long-standing structural inequities. However, it also exacerbated those disparities by adding a socioeconomic crisis, strengthening barriers to education, and exhausting the quality of neighborhoods and built environments. In essence, COVID-19 unsympathetically impacted the social determinants of health that will negatively impact Latinos for decades.

It is for that reason that the Latino News Network (LNN) is shifting its resources to solutions journalism coverage investigating the responses to social problems, providing insights by evaluating the evidence of what is working and not working, including what can be learned from the limitations (of a response).

New Hampshire Latino News (NHLN), and it’s five sister LNN newsrooms in New England and the Midwest will achieve this by:

  • Before making assumptions about what communities need to know, we commit to genuinely listening to them through surveys and in-person and virtual events to provide information that they’re missing.
  • We will partner with trusted organizations that help us increase accessibility to the public, broaden the reach of our coverage and prevent misinformation.
  • Generate “good conflict” around divisive issues and problems, allowing people and teams to discuss and debate the responses.
  • Commit to the on going examination of issues that can help communities see — and work toward building a better society.

NHLN sees the public as more than just the audience; you are contributors. To that end, please take our brief survey to help shape our coverage in producing stories on the social determinants of health: healthcare and quality, neighborhood and built environment, education access and quality, social and community context, and economic stability.

The Latino News Network (LNN) oversees five independent statewide coverage, Hispanic-Latino editorial focus English language news and information websites in New England and the Midwest.

LNN’s mission is to provide greater visibility and voice to Hispanics-Latinos, amplify the work of others in doing the same, give young journalists mentoring and real work experience, and apply the principles of solutions journalism in its investigative reporting.

Learn more about our work: https://latinonewsnetwork.com/, Twitter: https://twitter.com/LatinoNewsNet_ / Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latino-news-network/

Support Local Media

In the past year, LNN has been selected to participate in fellowships by Hearken, Solutions Journalism Network, USC-Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, Google News Equity, and generous donations through CIMA that assists our newsrooms in strengthening our coverage and commitment to building understanding, trust, and engagement with you.

Please consider becoming an LNN member by clicking HERE or making a donation by clicking HERE. Your support helps us tell in-depth stories about a community seldom seen or heard in mainstream media.