Altavoz Lab Fellows Dedicated to Reporting on Local Stories

Valeria Fernández founded Altavoz Lab to support local journalism and create a pipeline of stories critical to those communities. It does by both by giving journalists needed support and resources.

Valeria Fernández, founder and executive director of Altavoz Lab.

Valeria Fernández knows one of the perils of being a dedicated journalist — burnout.

It’s something she experienced after years of covering immigration issues, including the infamous campaign of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to rid the state of undocumented immigrants in the early 2000s.

She perservered but it’s something she acutely aware of when it comes to her fellow journalists. The Altavoz Lab fellows are often encouraged to take care of themselves and their mental health as well as pursue and publish meaningful stories.

Fellows are chosen based on the story projects they bring to the application process. If chosen, they get financial assistance to carry out those projects and are paired with a mentor to help offer advice and guidance to successfully publish their stories.

It’s led to a pipeline of stories important to those communities, such as the Alabama school district that saw progress for its Latino students cut off at the knees when the superintendent leading the process was let go after complaints from white parents.

Or the Houston area story spotlighting immigrants who lost their investments and homes after unregulated land and home sales were uncovered.

As a Phoenix-based journalist, Fernández’s passion for helping to develop community journalists and keeping them in their home communities to report on important stories is the mission of Altavoz.

“We want fellows who want to stay in their communities and report on the stories in their own neighborhoods,” she said.

To see the podcast featuring Fernández, visit here.