He believed whose story gets told matters.
Nick Clooney built a career helping audiences understand the events shaping their lives. Through journalism, mentorship, and humanitarian advocacy, he brought attention to stories close to Cincinnati and far beyond it.
Born in Maysville, Kentucky, in 1934, Clooney began working in radio as a teenager before building a career across television, radio, and print.
He came to Cincinnati to work for WCPO in 1969 and continued his broadcasting career at WKRC through the 1970s and early 1980s.
His reporting covered major regional events, including the devastating Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in 1977. Through local news and his writing for The Cincinnati Post, he helped audiences make sense of events affecting their communities.
Clooney’s commitment to storytelling included advocating for the people telling those stories.
He fought for diversity within the newsroom and mentored Black and female journalists, helping expand access to opportunities in American media.
The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights recognized that work in 2010. His mentorship connected journalism with a wider responsibility: ensuring more people had a voice in shaping the public conversation.
In 2006, Clooney joined his son George in drawing attention to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
Their documentary, A Journey to Darfur, brought the experiences of people facing genocide to a wider audience. The Clooneys donated all proceeds to aid the people of Darfur.
In 2012, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber honored Nick Clooney as a Great Living Cincinnatian. His career demonstrates how journalism can inform communities, broaden representation, and encourage people to respond to suffering beyond their own surroundings.
