Emmy-winning Iowa local-news anchor Dustin Nolan quit on live television on June 19, bidding an abrupt, tearful farewell to viewers at the end of his morning newscast on KWQC-TV6 in Davenport, Iowa, the United States.
Nolan said he had “chosen to step away from the news industry” because “facts matter,” and told viewers they deserve better than “trends or sanitised news.”
The NBC affiliate broadcasts from Davenport, Iowa, to what is known as the Quad Cities area – Bettendorf, Iowa; Rock Island, Illinois, and Moline, Illinois, in addition to Davenport.
“Well, before we go this morning, I have an announcement.” Nolan said in lieu of his usual morning-news signoff, choking up even before he started speaking. “Today is my last day here at KWQC 6. I have chosen to step away from the news industry.”
The newscaster did not address what had prompted his resignation but focused instead on articulating the philosophy he brought to the job and the responsibility he felt to deliver accurate, incisive news.
“Before I say goodbye, I just want to say, I hope every one of you that’s allowed me to be part of your mornings know just how important that I have taken this job, how much it means to me that you have trusted me these past few years to bring you the news in the morning,” Nolan said, his voice catching.
“I promise you I’ve given you everything I have. I’ve never tried to be perfect or what many think a newsman is supposed to be. But I’ve always done my best to be transparent, bring you the facts, and I’ve always been myself. I’ve loved being able to provide a public service to this place we all call home, the Quad Cities.”
He made his heartfelt dedication to the role abundantly clear.
“When it comes to this job, all I’ve ever wanted to do is report on the issues that really matter,” Nolan said.
“I’ve always believed that we, as a local news station, owe you, the viewers, the best that we can do, because without you, none of us would be able to do this job. I also believe that we, as a local news station, have to be more than trends or sanitised news because it makes people feel uncomfortable.
"That’s why the facts matter, and that’s why we do what we do here. We have to take people out of their bubbles and comfort zones and make them think about the world we all live in.”
One of the most wrenching aspects of the decision was that he would no longer be working alongside wife and co-anchor Jenna Jackson, he continued. The camera pulled back to reveal her sitting beside him at the anchor desk. She pulled out a tissue herself, reached across the desk, and gently took her husband’s hand.
“Because she isn’t just the greatest co-anchor on the news desk, but she is the greatest co-anchor in life as well,” Nolan said. “And if you don’t have a Jenna in your life, I suggest you find one, because she makes dreams come true in every way another human can.”
Nolan had worked at the station since 2022 after several years as a sportscaster.
In October 2025 he and Jackson took home an Emmy for Best Morning/Daytime newscast in the medium and small-market category for Remembering May 28th, which examined a partial hotel collapse in Davenport a year earlier and memorialised the three who died.
Nolan’s profile on KWQC was immediately scrubbed, its link producing a page headlined “404/ Page Not Found” and adding, “Sorry, we couldn’t locate the page you requested. Here are some of our most read articles that might interest you.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
