Brenda Victoria Castillo
President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition
"We need to educate people around us in our everyday lives about how to check sources and diversify the news we are taking in nearly every minute of the day. We have to encourage folks to take a step into the uncomfortable, to question the validity of something as an active consumer. These days it's common to come across a manipulated image, fabricated story, or AI-generated deep fake on social media.

We have to take responsibility as a community to say, "no, you can't manipulate us anymore." There's no one coming to save us; the big online platforms are only out for viral advertisement money, and our government is moving too slowly to truly prevent harm. It's up to us to educate our families, to make a difference, and to defend the truth."