Independent Journalist
Nick Valencia is a veteran correspondent with more than two decades of street level journalism experience. In June 2025, he launched his own media company after 19 years at CNN. In a matter of months, he saw his following skyrocket to over a 100,000 people. His platform has been viewed more than +70 million times since launch. Nick has established himself as one of the leading new media platforms in the country, according to the Pew Research Center. In his new role, Nick has bridged the gap between traditional media and new media. Led by his empathetic reporting and masterful character-driven storytelling, The Reuters Institute said Nick is one of the journalists that is transforming journalism in Latin America. He's become of the nation's go-to sources for immigration coverage.
Before launching NVN, Nick was a CNN correspondent in Atlanta, front and center for history for 13 years.
He is a leading Latino in journalism and received the inaugural “Sí Se Puede Excellence in Leadership Award” from NAHJ, where he served as Vice President and twice as President of the Atlanta chapter. In 2025, he received the Bob and Jean Graetz Media Award in Montgomery, Alabama, for his civil rights and social justice journalism. In 2021, he and his CNN team earned a national Emmy for coverage of the death of George Floyd. He’s won three Peabody Awards, received two more Emmy nominations, and was named “TV Reporter of the Year” by the Atlanta Press Club in 2020.
Over the years, Nick has reported from crisis zones across the country. His 2019 reporting on migrant children in U.S. Border Patrol custody led to federal investigations and disciplinary actions. He was part of a small group of journalists granted access to the facilities and helped expose the truth behind family separations. In 2020, he became a key voice in CNN’s pandemic coverage, and exposed internal CDC conflicts with the Trump White House. Nick's recent reporting in Texas' Camp East Montana sparked an official investigation which exposed a measles outbreak in the facility.
A proud Angeleno native, he currently lives in Atlanta. He first started reporting for his high school newspaper at 14 and is a graduate of USC’s Annenberg School. He founded the Latino Media All Stars, a 750+ member wellness-focused run club for media professionals.
Featured Presentation: Defending the First Amendment: The Future of Press Freedom
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
9:15 AM - 10:00 AM CT