V Spehar

V Spehar is an award-winning digital journalist, TikTok personality and podcaster. Spehar launched UnderTheDeskNews with the aim to make news media less intimidating and easier to understand and rapidly amassed a collective 4 million subscribers to their various social media platforms. Their original reporting has won them one on one interviews with Vice President Kamala Harris, President Biden, President Obama, Sec. Buttigeig, Sec. Austin, Sec. Blinken as well as several members of the House & Senate. They covered the 2024 DNC as an official digital streamer, and the Paris Olympics in partnership with TikTok. In addition, they have lent their talents in reporting to serve as a field correspondent and host for The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News. Spehar has received a special achievement Webby for their concise and compassionate reporting and was a finalist for a GLAAD media award. They were named a MediaWise Ambassador by the Poynter Institute and a RISE25 ambassador for digital excellence by Mozilla. They currently host the podcast American Fever Dream with Betches Media, release a twice weekly Substack, dozens of short form video explainers on the day’s news in a kind way from a safe space, and are working on a book with Zando Publishing to be released early 2026. While at Shorenstein, Spehar will explore the role of online content creators in journalism — particularly how influencers establish credibility and what pathways exist for professionalization.