About North County Informador
North County Informador is a weekly bilingual publication targeting Latino households in North San Diego County who have been living in a news desert. The weekly eNewsletter and monthly print edition connect community service providers and leaders with the people they serve.
Over the years a lack of trust has grown between our communities and the institutions that have traditionally provided news and resources but who are failing here.There are no other local news sources based out of North County, much less in Spanish. Local funding for media coverage in the area is almost nonexistent.
Our needs assessment included a comprehensive readership study survey and interviews with community members and leaders to discover the wants and needs of those we are reaching. We took part in a wide-reaching research project called the National Latino Readership Study, carried out by LatinoLYTICS. This study surveyed readers from over 200 Latino newspapers, magazines, and digital websites, and ePublications. We were honored that North County Informador’s readers were included and were excited to gather incredible insight on what our readers want.The survey showed that98% are concerned about fake news and scams. Meanwhile, 68% of them prefer to read in Spanish!
Our communities deal with mistrust, language and mobility issues, isolation, and a lack of Internet access.Their number one wish was for more health articles, with 93% requesting increased health coverage. For example, we learned that 59% of the readers want more on both women’s health issues and mental health coverage, compared to 7% who want heartburn coverage. On the civic engagement front, 71% of our readers are first-generation in the US, yet 95% are now citizens, indicating a desire to become involved on a permanent basis here in the United States. Just 32% of Informador’s readers prefer reading only in English. After health, the next most desired editorial topic was Latino Success Stories, at 65% of the readers; Education, at 62%; and Events, at 59%.
Moreover, our 27-year history through parent nonprofit Empowering Latino Futures (ELF) has shown us that Latinos in the North County are especially isolated from health services, educational opportunities, financial information, and civic engagement. Our service provider partners tell us it is difficult for them to reach the communities in their language and preferred format. And community members have shared in focus groups that the only news coverage they get is negative.
Our response has been decisive. We launched the bilingual outlet North County Informador three years ago and have since developed relationships with over 120 local service providers, the county offices, local representation, and grassroots-level organizations who now depend on us to connect with their otherwise neglected audiences.
Our original stories both bolster and uplift our readers, focusing on community leaders who inspire.
Audience · Audiencia
The pandemic put a spotlight on an ongoing problem—people with no access to services, even when those services are available. Our nonprofit Empowering Latino Futures’ (ELF) latest project, North County Informador, provides essential, life-changing information to move the needle. ELF has a multi-decade history working with our North County San Diego Latino communities.
Our audience for North County Informador is estimated to be 94% Latino. There are some 360,000 Latinos in North County, divided among some 93,000 households in 11 distinct communities in coastal and inland cities and rural areas. Many of them are non-citizens. Many are non-English-speaking. Some are nondigital and can’t access the Internet. Some work on farms, and many are low-income. To reach everyone in the way that works for them, we offer a free, bilingual, weekly digital and monthly print media source.
We foster trust through local, dual-language community reporting and an empowering model vs. a savior model. We act not only as reporters but also as liaisons, creating links to rebuild trust between the community and the service providers and mentors.
The 2022 National Latino Media Study data show that 91% of our readers want more information about health; and 64%, about education; 68% of those surveyed prefer to read in Spanish. Many are craving local inspirational stories.
In response, Informador features bilingual reporting on four cornerstone topics—health, education, financial empowerment, and civic engagement. We also cover community, food, and government services, including complete lists of phone numbers and websites of food banks, local school services, health services for women, and more. And we empower through inspirational stories about prominent North County-based Latinos.
Informador makes sure our communities know how to access services in their language and their way, whether over the phone, in person, or via the Internet.
ELF has developed numerous nonprofit and community-based partnerships in many fields in the North County, including local healthcare agencies, schools and education-based organizations, financial institutions, civic engagement proponents, and many others. Thanks to our outreach efforts and to positive feedback from the community, we have seen an 47% increase in community partners over the past year, plus a marked increase in participation in editorial content by community providers who are aware of our impact.
North County Informador is part of Empowering Latino Futures (ELF), which has held more than 76 Latino Book & Family Festivals since 1997. It also organizes the International Latino Book Awards and works with partners on several empowerment programs.
Our Coverage · Nuestra cobertura
Four cornerstones:
- Health / Salud
- Education / Educación
- Financial Empowerment / Empoderamiento financiero
- Civic Engagement / Participación cívica
We also cover:
- Community, Food, and Government Services / Servicios comunitarios de alimentos y gubernamentales
- Success Stories / Historias de éxito
- Community Empowerment / Empoderamiento comunitario
- Community events / Actividades
Targeted Communities / Nuestras comunidades
- Bonsall
- Carlsbad
- Encinitas
- Escondido
- Fallbrook & Rainbow
- Oceanside
- San Marcos
- Solana Beach & Rancho Santa Fe
- Temecula
- Valley Center & Pauma
- Vista
Submit an Article
Informador helps you connect with Latinos in North County San Diego in English and Spanish, digitally and in print format.
Send content to editor@NorthCountyInformador.com
Editorial Deadline: Print version: Day 15 of month prior.
eNewsletter: Every Wednesday by 3 p.m.
Links: In the eNewsletter, we can link to an article on your website.
Articles: Ideal articles are 250 to 500 words in English or Spanish, with one or two high-resolution images. Images should be submitted as a jpeg or comparable.