Nick Valencia‘s work is already having an affect.
After leaving CNN practically two months in the past, the Atlanta-based nationwide correspondent determined to go the unbiased route, publishing his work by way of his Nick Valencia Dwell Substack web page. And he’s seeing his early tales repay.
Among the many latest highlights, Valencia revealed a narrative about corruption allegations on the immigration detention facility in Florida, generally known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” Valencia’s reporting led to one of many operation’s contractors dropping their contract on the facility.
Already adept at utilizing social media to raise his journalistic profile additional, Valencia is utilizing his platforms to lift consciousness about his latest enterprise.
He’s additionally working with the Historical past Channel on the Biggest Mysteries sequence, which is a one-hour documentary sequence inspecting the highest theories surrounding unsolved mysteries.
“Issues occur for us, to not us,” Valencia instructed TVNewser as he joined the rising ranks of TV journalists who’ve embraced the route of unbiased journalism. He says he’s stuffed with youthful vitality as he embarks on this new journey.
TVNewser: Why did you select to go unbiased slightly than be part of a competing information community?
Valencia: I spent 19 years there (at CNN). It was the longest first job within the historical past of jobs. I’ve by no means labored anyplace else. I began as a teleprompter operator there on March 6, 2006, and my final day was June 1, 2025. Media is altering not simply yearly, it’s altering day by day. For individuals to know, it’s a must to be in it. That’s what I’ve realized within the final seven weeks: how the panorama was altering. The viewers out there has already instructed us what it needs. It’s already dictated to us the calls for, and we’ve obtained to satisfy the second as journalists. That perspective of utilizing journalism as an final act of service, seeing what was taking place beginning in June, with the concentrating on of my neighborhood, the Latino neighborhood. I by no means wished to be the Brown reporter overlaying Brown individuals. I don’t need that stereotype of being a Latino journalist. I’m a journalist who occurs to be Latino, and so I’ve been very deliberate all through my reporting profession—despite the fact that I’ve an experience in an space, I wished to be seen as a journalist who can cowl every part, and I did that.
However the reality is, these tales are private, and I’m very drawn to this. So, speaking about assembly the second, I noticed a chance to satisfy the second in a means that I don’t assume reporters can on a mainstream stage. A whole lot of the stuff I used to be capable of do in L.A. was finished as a result of I used to be unbiased. I noticed how disarming it was to the individuals whom I talked to, and I ended up interviewing at size once I instructed them I used to be alone. I’m not a media critic. So, I noticed a chance for myself to satisfy the second and to make use of my platform to supply individuals a microphone.
What does the liberty of unbiased reporting present that conventional information retailers don’t, and the way is it sustainable?
I’m seven weeks in. I’d like to say that I’ve all of the solutions, but when we’re speaking numbers, you might have the identical questions my mother did on Father’s Day. This was once I was every week into this. It was Father’s Day, and I used to be at Piedmont Park pool with my children. I used to be taking a look at my Substack and noticed I had $300. My mother’s asking me, “How are you going to do that? You bought shot at by the police. You have been practically trampled by horses. You’ve obtained two children at residence.” On the time, I had one thing like 4 million views. It’s someplace in direction of like 10 million views now throughout my social media. That night time, I refreshed my Substack, and I had one thing like $1,500, and that’s in a matter of 12 hours. If I have been utilizing that pragmatic strategy, “How was I going to pay for this?” Effectively then, Substack, my readers, and the viewers I’ve would have paid for that L.A. journey. That was technically viewer-funded. I simply obtained the funding afterwards. So, how is it sustainable? What I’ve seen is that by placing out good content material and flooding the zone with nice content material, we will go deep on points the place broadcast and cable information sometimes have solely three minutes for a phase.
I’ve been capable of launch exhibits the place I’ve 45-minute discussions and conversations. My first visitor on Nick Valencia Dwell, which I air on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. ET—so my mother can watch it at midday at lunch in L.A.—was a Latino Trump voter. The concept I can have a 45-minute dialog with anyone whom I might deliver to my viewers, and a perspective the place these are uncomfortable and awkward conversations … I can apply all the nice classes that I realized as a correspondent at CNN, the framework that they gave me, the schooling that they gave me, and apply it now to the place the viewers is. So, I’m studying how that is all sustainable.
Nick Valenica on location reporting as an unbiased journalist.Courtesy of Nick Valencia
Your preliminary focus has been on overlaying the immigration raids in Southern California. Was that by selection?
It’s a contented coincidence. I imagine in God. I’m a recovered alcoholic. 4 and a half years in the past, I finished consuming, and I’m not blaming journalism in any respect, however the stuff I noticed definitely didn’t assist. I come from a line of recovered alcoholics. My dad was one, my grandpa, my uncle actually died with a bottle in his arms on the streets of L.A.. Within the 4 and a half years that I finished consuming, man, I’ve realized to not simply imagine in God, however depend on God. It simply actually was sincerely a coincidence that the Historical past Channel job and the filming lined up that week. I used to be watching from my bed room an area journalist whom I observe and mentor, named Ryan Mena. She was in Paramount (California) in the midst of the conflict between police and because the locals have been standing as much as ICE, she was shot with a rubber bullet. I stated, “Oh my God, that is loopy!” I have to go do what I can to assist. I knew I used to be going to L.A. in a few days.
So, I had deliberate and packed this bag secretly, and I walked out the door, and my spouse was like, “Hey, I do know that bag!” As a substitute of blowing up at me and getting mad, and saying, “Hey, what are you doing, you might have children.” She understood, and he or she’s like, “Wow, go Nick!” Then I obtained residence, and my mother was like, “Go, Nicholas!” These are the “God photographs” and the affirmations that I wanted to say, “Okay, let me go see what I can do to assist.” I’ve had thousands and thousands of views as a result of a number of of those clips have gone viral.
What different subjects are you trying to cowl as an unbiased journalist on Nick Valencia Information?
I’ve a narrative the place I spent the day with migrant farmers, undocumented migrant farmers in Delano, California, and so they have been very chatty with me, which was outstanding. I’ve this unique story arising the place I spent the day with pickers who make $16.50 an hour underneath triple-digit temperatures. I’ve this report arising on the scholar athletes who choose within the mornings for 8-9 hours a day. These children are choosing within the fields, after which in apply, they play varsity soccer. They’ve apply at night time to coach, and so they’re fairly good. They’ve gained a regional championship. Blended into all that is the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, whom I interviewed as effectively. She cried on digicam as a result of she seems like she’s falling in need of her grandfather’s legacy and sees the way it’s being muted out and the visibility of it’s being washed away.
That is additionally an opportunity for me to enchantment to individuals to assist fund it. Proper now, journalism issues greater than ever, and I believe unbiased journalism issues particularly. To ensure that that to proceed, to ensure that me to have the ability to proceed to do the tales that I’m doing, it’s going to take the individuals to assist fund it. Assist journalists like me. Let me go into these communities, have these conversations for you, and convey this to you.
