Enlace Latino NC - American Journalism Project

Enlace Latino NC is North Carolina’s first nonprofit digital news organization in Spanish. The organization was founded in 2018 to empower the diverse community of Latinx immigrants in the state to become more involved in the social, political and economic changes that affect them.

North Carolina has one of the fastest-growing Latinx populations in the U.S. The Latinx population in the state has grown by 40 percent in the last decade to more than 1.1 million people. Enlace Latino NC publishes independent, non-partisan, public service journalism for this audience, 80 percent of whom speak a language other than English at home. By delivering reliable, essential information in Spanish and collaborating with English-language partners across the state, this journalism is filling a gap in access to trusted, high-quality local news on what Spanish-speaking communities most want to know about: local politics, government and elections, immigration, and community affairs. As Enlace has grown, its coverage has expanded to also include voting and election information, public health news, and coverage of community-led organizing efforts.

Enlace Latino NC has been recognized for its innovative strategies for reaching new audiences, including a thriving WhatsApp community, a Spanish-language podcast and a newsletter product launched in response to the information needs of seasonal farmworkers. In 2022, the organization was honored with three LION Awards, the most of any independent newsroom.

With the American Journalism Project’s support, Enlace Latino NC will build a revenue and operations team to support the newsroom’s ambitious growth and to ensure that North Carolina has trusted, high-quality local news by and for its Latinx and immigrant communities. AJP’s grant will also enable Enlace Latino NC to begin operating as a fully independent nonprofit.

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We launched Enlace Latino NC because our community was looking for specific immigration and state politics information that they weren’t finding anywhere else. We look forward to using this investment from the American Journalism Project to expand our operational capacity, which will help ensure our editorial team can publish high quality stories affecting our readers.

Paola Jaramillo, Cofounder and Executive Director

Leaders

Paola Jaramillo

Cofounder and Executive Director

Paola Jaramillo is a journalist from Colombia who has lived in North Carolina since 2004. She has more than 24 years of experience as an editor and reporter for various Spanish news organizations in the state. Her work has been recognized with more than 24 national journalism awards by the National Association of Hispanic Publications of the United States (NAHP). She considers that now more than ever, there is an urgency to create new journalistic spaces that tell well-written, informative, and educational stories providing the community with the necessary tools to make informed decisions.
Walter Gómez

Cofounder and Managing Editor

Walter is a journalist and independent photographer. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of journalism and social communication in both his native Argentina and North Carolina, in addition to his extensive involvement with community organizing around immigration policy. Walter is also a tasks coordinator of El Colectivo NC at the state level, joining efforts with organizations, grassroots groups and allies in defense of the immigrant community. His work has been recognized with more than 20 national journalism awards by the National Association of Hispanic Publications of the United States (NAHP).