Journalists, students, professors and other professionals are invited to join a one-day conference, co-hosted by Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Telemundo Network, intended to provide tools to dispel myths about the nation's Latino voters and to facilitate the work of journalists during this election year. Panelists and political experts will discuss the diverse demographics of the Latino communities, how journalists can research the voting and legislative records of candidates and fact-check their positions, as well as provide ways to understand and use election poll results. Major party experts will comment about the strategies they expect the Democratic and Republican parties will use in the coming elections. All students are welcomed.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 22, 2016
Advanced registration for this event is required. Attendance will be limited.

Full Schedule:

9:00AM Breakfast

9:30AM Opening remarks by Telemundo News Executive Vice President Luis Carlos Vélez.

9:45AM What do Latinos want?
What do Latinos really care about? Hint: It’s not just immigration. How different are the issues of concern between each of the Latino communities – Puerto Ricans, Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, Dominican-Americans, Salvadoran-Americans, etc? How can journalists learn about these needs? Discussion will include Q&A with participants.

Panelists:
• Roberto Suro, Professor, USC Annenberg School of Journalism and & Director, Tomas Rivera Policy Institute
• Elizabeth Llorente, Political and Immigration Editor, Fox News Latino
• Suzanne Gamboa, Senior Writer, NBCNews.com
• Moderator: María Celeste Arrarás, Telemundo National News Anchor

11:10AM On the record: What do candidates really believe and how do we know?
Thomas Edsall, Columbia Journalism School professor and New York Times Online Op- Ed Columnist, provides reporters an assortment of tools to check the voting/legislative record of candidates. How do you know when they are telling the truth? Discussion will include Q&A with participants.

12:00 Lunch in Joseph Pulitzer World Room

1:00PM Chasing Latino Votes: the parties’ strategies
Columbia Journalism School Professor and former dean, Nicholas Lemann, leads a discussion with former New Mexico Governor and U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson, and Daniel Garza, Executive Director of the LIBRE Initiative and former Deputy Director of External and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of Interior. Topics of discussion: the emergence and impact of the Latino vote. When did the Latino vote begin to matter, does it really now, and if so, how well are the major political parties managing strategies to capture that part of the voting constituency? How will the presence of two prominent Latinos in the race alter Latino voter tendencies this year, if at all? Discussion will include Q&A with participants.

2:30PM The Hispanic Pulse: the truth about polling
How do you quantify the strength of the Latino vote? Is it really measurable by polling Latinos, and how reliable are those polls? National pollsters provide a view of how to read, use and interpret voter polls. Discussion will include Q&A with participants.

Panelists:
• Jeff Horwitt, Senior Vice President, Hart Research, Washington DC
• Micah Roberts, Vice President, Public Opinion Strategies, Washington DC
• Moderator: Jose Díaz-Balart, Telemundo National News Anchor and MSNBC host

4:00PM Closing Remarks by Steve Coll, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism and Henry R. Luce Professor in Journalism

4:15PM Post-Event Refreshments and Networking in Joseph Pulitzer World Room

Lecture Hall, Columbia Journalism School
2950 Broadway, New York, NY 10027 (116th & Broadway)