Dustin Dorsey
I grew up in San Jose and loved playing and watching sports. My family bonded over cheering for the Warriors, A's, Sharks and Cowboys. I played all sports growing including swimming, football and basketball to name a few. While I didn't quite have the skills to be a professional athlete, I knew very early on that I wanted to be in the spotlight. From performing made-up routines for my family in the living room, to emceeing my school's talent show as a kindergartner, I never shied away from the stage.
It has been a blessing to be a reporter with ABC7 News since February 2019. It's incredible to see how much happens in news in such a short amount of time.
I was lucky enough to cover the Super Bowl in 2020 when the San Francisco 49ers took on the Kansas City Chiefs. I told everyone that week that my feet never hit the ground, I was simply floating from the excitement of it all.
Life changed a month later when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, however. Covering the important stories of my community never felt more urgent. I recognized then just how big of an impact we can have as journalists while telling the news that people need to know.
I had never been so challenged to do my job, but it helped me clearly understand how and why we were Building a Better Bay Area every day.
I take that mantra very seriously when doing my work whether it be covering the Presidential visits, the devastating storms of 2023 or the daily news that tops the headlines in the South Bay.
I got my first taste of broadcasting at Santa Teresa High School in San Jose. In my senior year, I took journalism to get out of having to take a third year of science. It turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I anchored the Wednesday morning broadcast and realized this is what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I perfected my craft at San Jose State University and began my professional career after my Fall graduation.
I never wanted to leave the Bay Area, this is home. But in this business, I learned if you want to be on TV, you go be on TV. I took that advice to heart and moved to the opposite side of the country to little Wilmington, NC to become a multi-media journalist for WWAY news. I was quickly thrust into the news world where I covered Hurricane Matthew, a Black Panther Party protest, a Donald Trump presidential rally and many more stories that helped me realize I'm not in college anymore. My passion has always been sports and 6 months in I was able to get promoted to the sports director at the station.
Growing up, I always wanted to emulate my broadcasting idol, Rich Eisen, and become a sports anchor. Now just a short time into my career, I was able to live out that dream.
As the sports director, I had the opportunity to cover March Madness, the NCAA baseball regional and even a PGA Tour Championship. I told the small town stories of the athletes in Southeastern North Carolina and watched many head to do great things.
It was a life-changing experience to be able to live life in a different part of the country. But after two years in the South, I was ready to come home. ABC7 allowed me to do just that.
I now get to be in my own backyard telling the stories of my South Bay Community while working alongside the same talented journalists here that I grew up watching. It has been an amazing journey so far, but I always believe the best is yet to come!
Share the stories of the Bay with me on Twitter, Facebook or by e-mail: Dustin.W.Dorsey@abc.com.
Dustin's Stories
Judge finds 14-year-old guilty of 2nd degree murder in stabbing of teen at Santana Row in San Jose
A judge says that prosecutors proved their case that the then 13-year old suspect is guilty of second-degree murder for the Valentine's Day stabbing of 15-year-old David Gutierrez at the Santana Row mall last year.
ICE going to 'be out there every day' during World Cup, DHS says
The secretary of the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will be "out there every day" during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Many CalFresh recipients could lose benefits starting June 1 due to new requirements
California leaders are trying to get the word out about upcoming changes to CalFresh that could put hundreds of thousands of people across the state at risk of losing their food benefits.
Man wanted for recording inside Sunnyvale gym women's locker room, police say
The incident occurred around 4 a.m. last Saturday at a 24 Hour Fitness on Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, according to the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.
Santa Clara shooting, house fire deemed murder-suicide involving estranged brothers, police say
Santa Clara police have determined that the deadly shooting and house fire that took place on May 8 was a murder-suicide involving estranged brothers: Mark Heflin of Santa Clara and shooting suspect Matthew Heflin of Bloomington, Indiana.
Suspected rat poison pellet discovery closes part of Santa Clara park after dog sickened
Pellets suspected to be rat poison mysteriously left at Jenny Strand Park in Santa Clara were discovered after a dog owner contacted the city Monday to report that their pet had eaten some of the pellets and became sick.
Bay Area mom seeks justice after sketches of son's killers from 2013 released
San Jose police have released sketches of two possible suspects in the 2013 stabbing death of 17-year-old Anthony Santa Cruz, renewing efforts to solve a case that remains unsolved more than a decade later.
2026 FIFA World Cup hotel bookings lagging in Bay Area, across the country
World Cup tickets for the Bay Area's matches are selling fast, but hotels are not being booked at the same pace. Experts say the reason may be from what's happening on the other side of the world.
Jury finds Union City man guilty in 2022 shooting of Mountain View police officer
A Santa Clara County jury convicted 37-year-old Jeffrey Choy of Union City of seven felony charges, including attempted murder, in connection with the July 2022 shooting of a police officer near downtown Mountain View.
South Bay runner invents radar-based wearable device to improve runner safety
A South Bay engineer has created a new device, called the PAXEV Running Radar, aimed at making running safer by alerting runners to potential hazards approaching from behind through vibration.
