Tey-Marie Astudillo is an independent multimedia journalist and videographer based in New York City with over 15 years of on-the-ground reporting experience and more than seven years in live news production. 

Her work is rooted in the conviction that independent journalism is essential to a functioning democracy, and that the stories most worth telling are often the ones left out of the mainstream media.

Currently a Senior TV Producer at Democracy Now!, the independent global news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. In this role, she leads production on the live daily broadcast focusing on in-depth coverage of U.S. and international affairs, working to ensure that voices marginalized by corporate media are heard.

In the field, Tey documents breaking news and global events — from frontline clashes between protesters and police, the aftermath of mass shootings, presidential campaign rallies, congressional hearings, and proceedings of international bodies including the United Nations. 

As a freelance contributor, she’s collaborated with video news agencies, online publications, and nonprofit organizations, producing work featured and syndicated globally through McClatchy, CNN, RT, The Military Times, Scripps Newspapers, Yahoo News, and others. 

Whether on the ground or in the control room, her work captures the intersection between politics, culture, and everyday life — telling complex stories across borders, communities, and political ideologies. 

Tey’s work focuses on how systems of power affect ordinary people, reflecting her commitment to independent media as both a practice and a principle. 

EDUCATION & INFLUENCES

Tey holds a Master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism (2012) and a Bachelor’s degree in Multimedia and Communication Studies from Florida Atlantic University (2010). 

Her academic interests are centered on emerging technology, mass media, and their impact on democratic institutions, drawing on the works of those like Marshall McLuhan, Robert McChesney, Naomi Klein, and Noam Chomsky.

Tey’s work reflects her belief that journalism, as the fourth pillar of democracy, must do more than observe the world — it must hold it accountable.