Paulina Velasco
Collaborations project manager
Institute for Nonprofit News
Age: 34
In three words: Kind, open-minded, inquisitive
What colleagues say: After working closely with Paulina in 2024, I became her lifelong fan. Paulina is detail-oriented, thorough and thoughtful, and she was the lead reporter on “Frequency of Deception,” an investigation by Feet in 2 Worlds into the spread of misinformation and disinformation on Spanish-language radio — an often-overlooked phenomenon in the English-speaking world of public media. She has been reporting on the border for several years, and she is trilingual in English, Spanish and French.
Paulina showed tenacity and perseverance in her reporting. She traveled to Miami and Las Vegas to interview local radio hosts, activists and politicians. The final product was a multipart series — first, an hour-long radio special on WNYC’s Notes from America with Kai Wright, followed by five digital pieces that were published in both English and Spanish.
Paulina centered collaboration throughout the reporting process. As our reporting fellow, she worked closely with other reporters, editors, fact-checkers and translators to bring these stories to life. She is a highly critical thinker, and her investigation examined why radio was an especially effective medium to reach Latinos, and what impact that could have on the 2024 election.
Now, she’s begun a leadership role as the Collaborations Project Manager at the Institute for Nonprofit News, where she’ll be shaping investigative journalism nationwide.
What Paulina says
Decision to work in public media: I was studying political science in France when an assignment required me to record an interview with a diplomat at a local radio station. I was hooked. I’d been searching for the career path that would adequately satisfy my endless curiosity and help me develop multiple skillsets, and so I dove into audio journalism with enthusiasm. When I returned to my native California, I found opportunities to keep learning the trade at community and public radio stations. My values aligned with the mission of nonprofit media to serve the public. I discovered that with my education in political systems, my immigrant background and my language skills, I could serve that mission by helping newsrooms better cover underserved communities.
Key accomplishments: I’m very proud of the response to the investigation I led for Feet in 2 Worlds. It explained the origins and impacts of disinformation and misinformation broadcast by Spanish-language radio stations in the U.S. I wanted to approach the topic with respect and nuance, not from a place of judgment. I aimed to spark a conversation within our communities about how we can advocate for and access better information. When Spanish-language outlets reached out to interview me about the findings, I felt that I had reached the intended audience.
My reporting on the U.S.-Mexico border for The Guardian is another key accomplishment. My article on asylum seekers held by the government in the San Diego desert was cited in an official complaint to the Department of Homeland Security.
Inspired by: The many brave people who are working to make the world more just and peaceful — activists, volunteers, nonprofit founders and other courageous doers of good deeds. As journalists, we play a key role in amplifying their ideas and sharing opportunities to engage in community. Yet I am continually astounded at the courage of people who walk the walk, not just talk the talk. And I remind myself that what we choose to elevate with our journalism carries enormous responsibility.
Advice for young public media professionals: Build resilience by being open to the many ways we can be a part of public media and nonprofit journalism. Roles in audience strategy, community engagement, communications and fundraising all contribute to a nonprofit newsroom’s ability to do good journalism. Hopefully, being open to developing skills in various roles also makes us capable of riding the inevitable waves of job loss and job creation in the media industry.
Advice for public media leaders: Valuing diversity is not a generational caprice, passing fad, business maneuver or just the target of a new federal administration. It is necessary for our practice of nonprofit journalism and its mission to serve the public. Committing to diverse sources, stories and journalists can simply mean that we’re striving to accurately cover the communities we serve.
Secondly, we all gain from collaborations, no matter their scope or length — especially when they don’t work perfectly and we learn from the experience. Collaboration is actually a brave and imaginative way to share those resources and to continue tackling the enormous amount of news and information there is to dig into and share.
