Chips Quinn Reporter Spotlight: Fernando Cervantes
Posting: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Fernando Cervantes Jr., a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY, covers the stories that sit at the intersection of power and consequence, driven by a belief that journalism done well can illuminate the human cost of systems that too often go unexamined. Based in Boston, MA, where he went to college, Cervantes has built an early career defined by range, persistence and a growing commitment to the kind of accountability reporting that leaves a lasting mark.
His introduction to journalism came at 13 years old, when he began accompanying his uncle to weekend shifts at Telemundo Dallas. Sitting in the back of a working newsroom, watching reporters and producers move with purpose, Cervantes found himself drawn in. He wanted to be part of it. That early glimpse of what journalism looked like in practice planted a seed that would take years to fully take root, but it never left him.
Fernando Cervantes
Chips Quinn Reporter
When self-doubt crept in during college, it was a small-town newspaper that steadied him. Cervantes began volunteering at The Somerville Times, his college town's local paper, and found genuine connection. Reporting in a tight-knit community, getting to know the people whose lives he was covering, gave his work a sense of meaning that larger, more abstract ambitions had not. That time at The Somerville Times, he has said, is the reason he became a journalist at all.
After earning his degree, Cervantes joined USA TODAY, where he has spent just over a year covering national trending news. His reporting spans politics and criminal justice, two beats he views as inseparable from daily American life. Politics, in his view, shapes not only how the country operates but how its people understand themselves and one another. Criminal justice drew him in through coverage, as he witnessed firsthand how a system that can fail people in sweeping and structural ways leaves its mark on individuals and families in deeply personal ways.
Among the work he is most proud of is a six-month project covering capital punishment across multiple states. Cervantes reported on individual executions while working to tell the full human story surrounding each case, including the lives of the victims, who he felt deserved to be remembered as more than the circumstances of their deaths. The project tested him as a journalist and pushed him to handle some of the most emotionally demanding material of his career with both precision and care. The experience shaped him as a reporter and reinforced his commitment to criminal justice coverage.
Why Join the Chips Quinn Fellowship?
Cervantes learned about the Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship through a colleague at USA TODAY and recognized in it something familiar. During high school and college, he had been part of programs that offered structure, mentorship and community to young people navigating competitive fields, and the fellowship reminded him of what those experiences had given him. Having that kind of support system at this stage of his career felt not just appealing but necessary.
He comes to the fellowship with two clear goals. The first is guidance, a clearer sense of where his career can go and how to get there. The second is connection. Cervantes believes deeply in the value of knowing other journalists, both as a practical resource and as a source of hope for the future of the field. For him, the relationships formed through a fellowship like this one carry value well beyond any single conversation or piece of advice.
Advice for Aspiring Journalists
Cervantes keeps his advice simple and direct: write as much as possible, and get to know as many journalists as you can. He describes the journalism community as one of the most generous and interconnected professional worlds he has encountered, one where a single introduction can open doors to an entire network of colleagues and mentors. Building those relationships early, he believes, is one of the most important investments a young reporter can make.
Message from her mentor:
“Attitude and perseverance are important in any field, but especially journalism. Fernando has faced his share of ups and downs, yet I'm struck by his ability to compartmentalize negatives, learn from them, then come out stronger and more determined. I am confident, with these traits, along with his work ethic and curiosity, that he is heading toward a very successful career."
John Bisognano
Executive Editor | The Palm Beach Post
Started by Freedom Forum, the original Chips Quinn program helped put college interns into newsrooms across the country. Since its beginnings in 1991, the program has reached more than 1,400 people, many of whom are now in leadership positions for local and national newsrooms. Today, the program aims to offer support to early-career journalists already in their respective newsrooms through a 1:1 mentorship by leading members in the journalism field as well as alumni from the program. Thanks to continued support for the program from Freedom Forum, each Chips Quinn Reporter receives a $10,000 stipend..
About Freedom Forum: Established on July 4, 1991, by USA TODAY founder Al Neuharth, the Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to fostering First Amendment freedoms for all. As the nation’s foremost advocate for First Amendment freedoms, the Freedom Forum engages thousands of Americans each year in classes, conversations and celebrations of these essential rights, including through the Power Shift Project, the annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, the Chips Quinn Scholars Program for Diversity in Journalism, the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media, the Free Expression Awards, the annual “Where America Stands” survey, the Journalists Memorial and Today’s Front Pages.
About JFP: The mission of Journalism Funding Partners is to strengthen the depth, diversity and sustainability of local news by building and shepherding relationships between funders and local news organizations. JFP is a recognized nonprofit that acts as fiscal sponsor, allowing foundations and individual funders to contribute directly to local news, regardless of the news organization’s business model. JFP manages the funds feeding numerous news initiatives, including more than a dozen Climate reporters in the Southeast, an Equity Desk at The Sacramento Bee, an Education and Economic Mobility Desk in California’s Central Valley, the Investigative Fund of The Miami Herald and for Inclusivity and Investigative funds at the Associated Press.
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Media Contact: Rusty Coats, Executive Director | rusty@jfp-local.org | (813) 277-8959
