In recent months, Alejandra Martínez Velasco's name has appeared in headlines, social media threads, and viral videos for a very specific reason: she is the journalist who appears, microphone in hand, right in front of Vito Quiles every time he steps into Congress. And, it must be said, she doesn’t leave with friendly answers.
Her working style is direct, uncomfortable, and has that touch of infinite patience that only those who know that the question matters more than the evasive answer possess. This is a big part of her media appeal.
Who is Alejandra Martínez Velasco
Before becoming one of the familiar faces of street journalism, Alejandra Martínez Velasco trained as a lawyer and political scientist, specialising in gender, migration, and human rights. This academic profile is evident when she asks questions: she doesn’t improvise, she doesn’t fill in, she goes straight for the jugular of the file.
She reached the general public thanks to her activism. She participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza, an experience that put her on the media radar long before presenting anything on television. From there, almost without a break, she jumped into screen journalism.
She openly defines herself as feminist, queer, and left-wing, something that has quickly become a regular target for her detractors. To her, as seen on camera, it makes no difference: she keeps asking.
Who she works for: Canal Red and Despierta!
Her professional home is Canal Red, the digital medium driven by Pablo Iglesias' circle. Since October 2025, she has been hosting Despierta!, the morning news programme of the channel that airs from Monday to Friday and combines interviews, analysis panels, and, above all, a lot of street content.
In that slot, Martínez Velasco shares space with Pablo Echenique and a rotating panel of political scientists and journalists like Arantxa Tirado, Cristina Buhigas, Bake Gómez, or Irene Zugasti. The programme opts for a long, direct format, aiming to discomfort those who need to be uncomfortable.
But her personal stamp is not so much in the studio as at the doors of the Congress of Deputies, where she has become a recurring presence. There, she literally chases those who think that a “no comment” is enough. Spoiler: with her, it’s not enough.
A reporter who doesn’t leave without an answer
What distinguishes Martínez Velasco from other similar profiles is her ability to chain specific questions, with data on the table and without falling for provocation. When the person being questioned gets angry, she doesn’t raise her voice: she simply repeats the question. And again. And again. Until the silence becomes more eloquent than any headline.
This formula, seemingly simple, has caused her videos to circulate like wildfire on social media. And it has also led some political figures to sincerely prefer not to see her appear when they come down the stairs of Congress.
Her latest clashes with Vito Quiles
This is where things get interesting. The recurring big topic of Alejandra Martínez Velasco with Vito Quiles is funding: contracts, public money, ties to parties. The journalist has been trying for months to get the agitator to respond publicly about all these matters, and the agitator has been trying to evade her with results that are, let’s say, uneven.
The first notable episode occurred in early February 2026, during a PP event in Aragón where Quiles interviewed the regional president Jorge Azcón. Martínez Velasco asked him why his boss refused to hand over his contracts to the judge investigating one of his open cases. The answer did not come. The question, however, went viral on the internet.
A few days later, the episode escalated. As Pablo Iglesias publicly denounced on social media, Quiles told the journalist, “If I were a squad member, you wouldn’t have any teeth”, and all this happened in the presence of National Police officers. The phrase, besides being undiplomatic, opened a huge debate about the limits of the profession and the safety of reporters covering certain profiles.
The incident with the fan with the gun
The most serious chapter came when, during one of those shifts at Congress, a supporter of Quiles approached Martínez Velasco and said, “Vito, give me the gun and I’ll do it myself”. Quiles himself, according to the circulating images, smiled and walked away from the scene.
What the threat enthusiast didn’t know was that his background would soon come to light: the individual had been convicted in 2021 for attempted murder after brutally assaulting a tattoo artist in Asturias, in addition to having a criminal record since he was a minor. The journalist, far from backing down, filed a complaint for death threats with the National Police. Days later, the individual was arrested and the case was handed over to the courts.
Why her figure generates so much noise
The combination is, in fact, quite explosive: a reporter with legal training, a clear political stance, and an insistence that borders on the notarial, facing a media figure who has made his unpredictability part of the spectacle. When they cross paths, sparks fly, and social media does the rest.
In her favour, she does not improvise questions: when she appears with the microphone, she usually has dates, figures, and names. This turns each encounter into an uncomfortable exam, not a hallway brawl.
Regardless of how her editorial line is valued, Alejandra Martínez Velasco is already part of the usual landscape of street political information in Spain. Some will like her, others will dislike her, but at this point, it’s quite difficult to ignore her. Especially if your name is Vito.
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