Fernando Alfonso III is a breaking news reporter for CNN digital who also writes features and about internet trends.
Before joining CNN, Alfonso spent the past decade working at newspapers and online news organizations around the country. He recently worked for Forbes, the Houston Chronicle, and the Lexington Herald-Leader. While at the Chronicle, he was part of the team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for its Hurricane Harvey coverage.
In Kentucky, Alfonso covered Appalachia’s opioid crisis and produced an award-winning investigative series on a controversial family court judge. Alfonso taught News Writing and a course in media management and entrepreneurship at the University of Kentucky for numerous years. Before moving to Kentucky, Alfonso was one of the Daily Dot's first staff writers covering Reddit and 4chan. He was also the company’s first art director. Alfonso’s first job in journalism was at the Post-Standard where a series of late night stakeouts resulted in an award-winning investigative story that ended up getting two public officials fired.
Alfonso grew up in New York's Hudson Valley region. He received his master's degree in journalism from Syracuse University where he was also awarded its Newhouse Graduate Newspaper Fellowship for Minorities. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Connecticut.
