V Spehar

V Spehar (they/them) is a Rochester-based LGBTQIA+ podcaster, online personality and citizen journalist. Spehar launched Under the Desk News on TikTok in April 2020 with the aim to make news media less intimidating and easier to understand and rapidly amassed 2.9 million followers. Their one-minute segments (literally delivered from under a desk) have attracted a bipartisan audience. In 2022, Spehar launched V Interesting, a GLAAD-nominated long-form podcast with original reporting that tackles various topics from Gen Z voter engagement to gender-affirming surgery. Their reporting has taken them to the press room of the 2023 State of the Union to hosting the NBC’s livestream of the Thanksgiving Day Parade to speaking at UNESCO summits. This year, V received a special achievement Webby for their concise and compassionate reporting.