Hennebach Series – Speaking the Truth: a night with citizen journalist “V” Spehar

BIO: Vitus “V” Spehar is an accomplished creator, political advocate and citizen journalist. Within just a few years of starting their account, they’ve built a loyal following of over 3 million subscribers who tune in daily for content that informs and educates while centering the emotional safety of viewers. Their core brand, Under The Desk News™, started out as a TikTok series expanding on news events in a nutshell and quickly became GenZ and Millenials go-to source for news. This past year, V’s coverage has moved from under their desk to the front lines of watershed events. They covered the 2023 State of the Union from the Capitol Hill press room and they were one of a few key journalists in the room for the Shou Chew TikTok hearings. Their recaps sorted through the noise, briefing their audiences on all the essential facts, removing any spin. Their dedication to thoughtful, lucid reporting, has led them to collaborate with notable figures across party lines including former President Obama, President Biden and a dozen plus members of Congress. 

V continues to stretch the limits of their content and their reporting. Their longform coverage of events and interviews with key figures on their podcast, V Interesting, earned them a 2023 GLAAD Media Award Nomination. V received a 2023 Webby Special achievement award for “their articulate and concise, but unabridged reporting, and for methodically balancing positive news with more solemn headlines” alongside the likes of SZA, Tracie Ellis Ross and the inventor of emojis.