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The Outsider: Building Trust Where the Audience Already Is
In Episode 2 of Media in the Margins, Becky Beamer talks with V Spehar, creator of Under the Desk News, about what happens when journalism is built directly for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and short-form video culture.
V explains how creator journalism mirrors traditional media with reporters, commentators, specialists, explainers, and public voices but removes the old gatekeeping structure. Instead of relying on a masthead to carry authority, independent journalists must build trust through storytelling, transparency, consistency, and direct accountability to audiences.
The conversation moves from platform-native news to ethics, mentorship, transparency statements, public values, and what it means to “perform the news” without turning journalism into empty performance. V also discusses why publishing ethics, funding information, mission statements, and red lines are not optional extras for creator journalists — they are part of becoming trustworthy.
Guest BioV Spehar is an award-winning digital journalist, podcaster, and creator of Under the Desk News, a platform-native news project known for making current events more accessible, emotionally aware, and human. V has built a following of more than 4.7 million and has appeared across legacy outlets including CNN, NPR, and PBS. Their official site describes Under the Desk News as a project that makes news more human and accessible.
They go live daily, Mon-Thurs from 10-11:30am ET. Additionally, if you could link their Substack, that would be amazing!
Please find the links to each below:
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4e3Gm46D6hWqVyjwkgS33g
- https://underthedesknews.substack.com/
Platform-native journalism
Peer-to-peer authority rather than institutional authority
Why young audiences distrust traditional news formats
Transparency statements and public ethics
News as performance and its risks
Creator journalism as an ecosystem, not a single category
Under the Desk News: https://underthedesknews.com/
V Spehar / Under the Desk News Substack: https://underthedesknews.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underthedesknews/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@underthedesknews
Ethics & Transparency
This episode is part of Media in the Margins, a public-facing research and journalism project. We treat journalism as an evolving process built through dialogue, transparency, and revision. Editorial control remains with the host and production team, and any corrections, updates, ethics notes, or source links will be documented in the show notes:
https://bleepbleepproductions.start.page
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By bleep bleep productions // BEcky BEamerIn Episode 2 of Media in the Margins, Becky Beamer talks with V Spehar, creator of Under the Desk News, about what happens when journalism is built directly for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and short-form video culture.
V explains how creator journalism mirrors traditional media with reporters, commentators, specialists, explainers, and public voices but removes the old gatekeeping structure. Instead of relying on a masthead to carry authority, independent journalists must build trust through storytelling, transparency, consistency, and direct accountability to audiences.
The conversation moves from platform-native news to ethics, mentorship, transparency statements, public values, and what it means to “perform the news” without turning journalism into empty performance. V also discusses why publishing ethics, funding information, mission statements, and red lines are not optional extras for creator journalists — they are part of becoming trustworthy.
Guest BioV Spehar is an award-winning digital journalist, podcaster, and creator of Under the Desk News, a platform-native news project known for making current events more accessible, emotionally aware, and human. V has built a following of more than 4.7 million and has appeared across legacy outlets including CNN, NPR, and PBS. Their official site describes Under the Desk News as a project that makes news more human and accessible.
They go live daily, Mon-Thurs from 10-11:30am ET. Additionally, if you could link their Substack, that would be amazing!
Please find the links to each below:
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4e3Gm46D6hWqVyjwkgS33g
- https://underthedesknews.substack.com/
Platform-native journalism
Peer-to-peer authority rather than institutional authority
Why young audiences distrust traditional news formats
Transparency statements and public ethics
News as performance and its risks
Creator journalism as an ecosystem, not a single category
Under the Desk News: https://underthedesknews.com/
V Spehar / Under the Desk News Substack: https://underthedesknews.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underthedesknews/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@underthedesknews
Ethics & Transparency
This episode is part of Media in the Margins, a public-facing research and journalism project. We treat journalism as an evolving process built through dialogue, transparency, and revision. Editorial control remains with the host and production team, and any corrections, updates, ethics notes, or source links will be documented in the show notes:
https://bleepbleepproductions.start.page