Guisell Gomez

The FIFA World Cup has always been one of those rare events where the noise of the world fades into the background and people find a reason to come together, even when everything outside the stadium suggests they should not. Borders, politics, grievances and long-standing tensions tend to dissolve the moment the ball hits the pitch, and for a few weeks every four years, fútbol becomes the universal language that nobody has to translate. Latinos understand this better than most.

Colombia just closed one of the most turbulent electoral chapters in its recent history. For the first time, the two frontrunners represented opposite ends of the political spectrum with nothing in between. On one side stood Iván Cepeda, a leftist candidate carrying the ideological torch of the outgoing Petro administration. On the other stood Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right candidate whose entire campaign was built around the concept of “mano dura,” or heavy fist. And somehow, he won.

Latino newsrooms are slowly fading away, which is such a strange concept considering that Latinos are heavy consumers of news especially in digital format and make up at least 20 percent of the U.S. population according to recent census data. Yet Latino media is suffering and not much is being said about it. People are just noticing the shutdowns and hiatuses and moving on.