Noticiero Móvil, the bilingual news outlet based at the Reynolds School of Journalism, celebrated its 10th anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 23, with a night of recognition, reflection and representation.

More than 50 attendees, including RSJ faculty, staff, current students, alumni and their families, gathered in the Linn Reading Room to commemorate a decade of community reporting and student-led storytelling. The evening featured food catered by Silver and Blue, speeches and a screening of a documentary which followed the first decade of Noticiero Móvil.

During the celebration, the Noticero Móvil was honored with two major recognitions: a proclamation from the Office of the Mayor of the City of Reno, presented by Diego Zarazúa, and a certificate of special congressional recognition from the Office of Senator Jacky Rosen, presented by Ashley Martinez. Both Zarazúa and Martinez are alumni of the RSJ and Noticiero Móvil. The awards highlight the bilingual digital site’s ongoing dedication to serving Nevada’s multicultural communities. 

Claudia Cruz, managing editor of Noticiero Móvil and director of the Reynolds School’s internship program, delivered remarks reflecting on the organization’s growth and impact over the past decade. She gave a taste as to what’s ahead for the next 10 years, emphasizing continued innovation in digital and bilingual journalism.

“This area is a ‘news desert’ for the Hispanic community," Cruz said. "Univision doesn’t have a reporter here right now and during the pandemic Univision wasn’t here at all, so you’ll hear more about how we stepped up to provide news to this community and how we continue to step up by training our students so that they hopefully can fill in the gaps with Univision and Telemundo, but also go to other parts of the country and continue doing the same thing there.”

Vanessa Vancour, founding editor, also spoke about the outlet’s influence on student journalists and its role in bridging language gaps in local media.

“When I founded Noticiero in 2015, we did not know what we were really building. But what I did know is that Spanish-speaking communities deserved to see themselves reflected in local news, and I also knew that our students deserved the chance to report in both languages and to be taken seriously for their work,” Vancour said.

Noticiero Móvil was launched thanks to a $35,000 grant from the Online News Association’s Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education. The project began as a small class experiment led by Vancour, designed to provide hands-on reporting experience to students while serving Northern Nevada’s growing bilingual population. What started as a collaboration among students and faculty soon evolved into a full-fledged multimedia platform producing stories in English and Spanish across web, radio and social media.

Over the years, Noticiero Móvil’s commitment to bilingual journalism has been recognized nationally. The outlet has received two prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in digital reporting and storytelling — a testament to its high journalistic standards and the dedication of its student reporters. The publication’s continued success has made it a model for other journalism programs across the country seeking to integrate community engagement, bilingualism and experiential learning into their curriculum.

Students from the Dean’s Future Scholars program, the Spanish department and interns have all contributed to Noticiero Móvil’s content over the years. The organization has provided a space for students to gain professional newsroom experience while reporting stories that matter to Northern Nevada’s Hispanic community. Many of these students have gone on to work for respected media outlets both locally and nationally, including KUNR Public Radio, KRNV Channel 4, Univision Reno, WNYC, Good Morning America, Bloomberg and KFF Health News. Some alumni have even taken their skills beyond journalism, working in public service, public relations and education.

Through its storytelling, Noticiero Móvil has not only amplified underrepresented voices but also trained a new generation of young journalists who value linguistic inclusivity and cultural understanding. The success of its alumni reflects the program’s ability to prepare students for diverse career paths while continuing to serve the local community.

Students from the Reynolds School helped organize the anniversary event, working alongside members of the press in attendance to cover the celebration. The night ended on a festive note as attendees took turns breaking a piñata — a fitting symbol of the community, collaboration and joy that have defined Noticiero Móvil since its founding ten years ago.