MDC Journalism Speaker Series Lineup Announced For 2026

A morning news anchor, two investigative reporters and a photo journalist headline the 2026 Miami Dade College Journalism Series.  

This year’s speakers include NBC 6 morning news anchor Constance Jones, reporter Linda Robertson, who is part of the Miami Herald Investigative Team, Daniel Rivero, an investigative reporter at WLRN and Miami Herald photo journalist Matias Ocner.

Episodes, which are 30 minutes each and are posted on MDC-TV’s YouTube Channel, will be filmed in February, March, April and May at the North, Kendall and Wolfson campuses.

“We are privileged to have a diverse group of journalists to share their expertise with our students at this year’s series,” said Manolo Barco, who founded the series in 2008 and serves as the media adviser to The Reporter, the student newspaper at MDC.    

Jones, a two-time Emmy-nominated journalist, will kick off this year’s series on Feb. 27 at 12:30 p.m. at North Campus, 11380 N.W. 27th Ave., Room 4209.

She has worked in New York City, Atlanta, Virginia, Oklahoma City and at WLRN Public Radio in South Florida. Jones was also a colleague of legendary journalist Dan Rather at CBS Evening News. 

Rivero, who is part of WLRN’s investigative team, will participate in the series on March 20 at Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second Ave., in Room 1610 at 11 a.m. 

His reporting has netted him a bevy of accolades including Murrow Awards, Sunshine State Awards and Green Eyeshade Awards. Prior to WLRN he was an investigative reporter and producer on the television series, The Naked Truth, and a digital reporter for Fusion. 

Miami Herald photographer Matias Ocner, a Kendall Campus graduate in 2013, will be the third speaker in this year’s series on April 15 at Kendall Campus in Room M-239 at noon.

Ocner, who was born in Argentina, has covered natural disasters, immigration, protest movements and various sporting events in the past decade. He was part of the Herald’s team that won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for coverage of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside. 

This year’s final guest has worked at the Miami Herald for more than 40 years. Robertson, who spent the first three decades of her career as a sports columnist and reporter, will speak on May 19 at  Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second Avenue, in Room 1610 at 11 a.m.

She is currently an investigative reporter. Robertson’s stories have contributed to the Herald winning Pulitzer Prizes for reporting on the Surfside condo collapse and Hurricane Andrew.

Her writing has been featured in numerous editions of the Best American Sports Writing anthology series and she has covered numerous World Cups, Final Fours, Super Bowls and 13 Olympics.   

The MDC Journalism Speaker Series was launched in February of 2008 to provide students an opportunity to meet and network with working journalists. To date, more than 87 journalists have participated. 

For more information, contact Manolo Barco at (305) 237-1255.

Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.