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Audio This News is So Gay (5/20/26): Building Community Through Media and Authenticity

Featuring: V Spehar, creator of Under the Desk News

V Spehar (left) and Ken Schneck

On this week’s brand new episode of This News is So Gay, we’re taking a time-out from our roundtable to hear more from the individuals who have helped define our field and continue to shape possibilities for the LGBTQ+ media landscape.

On this week’s episode: V Spehar.

V is the creator and host of Under the Desk News, with recognitions that include everything from the Time 100 list to the Outstanding Independent Journalism Award from GLAAD. V shares their journey from culinary arts to becoming a prominent LGBTQ+ journalist and content creator. They discuss how their authentic storytelling approach came to be, along with the importance of community and collaboration in journalism.

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Author

Dr. Ken Schneck (he/him) is the editor of The Buckeye Flame, Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom. For this work, he was honored with the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for National LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year. He is the author of “Seriously, What Am I Doing Here? The Adventures of a Wondering and Wandering Gay Jew” and three LGBTQ+ Ohio history books. Schneck spent 25 years working in higher education, including 10 years as a dean of students and 13 years as a tenured professor of education. He is a graduate of the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

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