The Verge | The ups and downs of being a political TikToker @TheVerge | Uploaded June 2024 | Updated October 2024, 6 hours ago.
I met Vitus “V” Spehar — the face behind Under the Desk News — a year ago in Washington, DC. I was on location with The Verge filming the TikTok senate hearing along with interviews with Senators and content creators for a Verge video about the looming ban. And when we interviewed V outside of the Capitol Building, V said that TikTok was useful for channels like their own — a news channel that was started because they didn’t believe traditional news sources were accessible enough to younger audiences. V’s TikTok now has 3.1 million subscribers.
So I spent a day with V to figure out why the hell they continue to do it, and more importantly, how they feel about the looming ban that threatens their main subscriber base.
Link to Matty Benedetto of Unnecessary Inventions’ episode:
youtu.be/6Qj52BUkbpU?si=w445sMJLF34nDbrW
0:00 Who is V from Under the Desk News?
01:39 The White House Correspondents Dinner is a big deal
02:20 The beginning of Under the Desk News
03:53 The struggle of political journalism
05:23 The TikTok ban
06:18 Under the Desk News Studio Tour
07:17 How Vitus “V” Spehar makes their content
09:42 Becca’s final thoughts
Subscribe: goo.gl/G5RXGs
Like The Verge on Facebook: goo.gl/2P1aGc
Follow on Twitter: goo.gl/XTWX61
Follow on Instagram: goo.gl/7ZeLvX
Follow on TikTok: bit.ly/42VeCVU
The Vergecast Podcast: link.chtbl.com/vergecast
Decoder with Nilay Patel: link.chtbl.com/decoder
More about our podcasts: theverge.com/podcasts
Read More: theverge.com
Community guidelines: bit.ly/2D0hlAv
Wallpapers from The Verge: bit.ly/2xQXYJr
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: bit.ly/3P4bJgz
I met Vitus “V” Spehar — the face behind Under the Desk News — a year ago in Washington, DC. I was on location with The Verge filming the TikTok senate hearing along with interviews with Senators and content creators for a Verge video about the looming ban. And when we interviewed V outside of the Capitol Building, V said that TikTok was useful for channels like their own — a news channel that was started because they didn’t believe traditional news sources were accessible enough to younger audiences. V’s TikTok now has 3.1 million subscribers.
So I spent a day with V to figure out why the hell they continue to do it, and more importantly, how they feel about the looming ban that threatens their main subscriber base.
Link to Matty Benedetto of Unnecessary Inventions’ episode:
youtu.be/6Qj52BUkbpU?si=w445sMJLF34nDbrW
0:00 Who is V from Under the Desk News?
01:39 The White House Correspondents Dinner is a big deal
02:20 The beginning of Under the Desk News
03:53 The struggle of political journalism
05:23 The TikTok ban
06:18 Under the Desk News Studio Tour
07:17 How Vitus “V” Spehar makes their content
09:42 Becca’s final thoughts
Subscribe: goo.gl/G5RXGs
Like The Verge on Facebook: goo.gl/2P1aGc
Follow on Twitter: goo.gl/XTWX61
Follow on Instagram: goo.gl/7ZeLvX
Follow on TikTok: bit.ly/42VeCVU
The Vergecast Podcast: link.chtbl.com/vergecast
Decoder with Nilay Patel: link.chtbl.com/decoder
More about our podcasts: theverge.com/podcasts
Read More: theverge.com
Community guidelines: bit.ly/2D0hlAv
Wallpapers from The Verge: bit.ly/2xQXYJr
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: bit.ly/3P4bJgz
