KWQC anchor Dustin Nolan gave an emotional on-air goodbye to his Quad City audience, announcing on Friday that he’s “chosen to step away from the new industry.” On his way out, he called out “sanitized news” and declared that it is the responsibility of journalists to “take people out of their bubbles and comfort zones and make them think about the world we all live in.”

“I have chosen to step away from the news industry,” Nolan said. “Before I say goodbye, I just want to say, I hope every one of you that’s allowed me to be a part of your mornings knows just how important that I have taken this job [and] how much it means to me that you’ve trusted me these past few years to bring you the news in the morning. I promise you, I’ve given you everything I have. I’ve never tried to be perfect, or what many think a newsman should be supposed to be, but I have always done my best to be transparent, bringing you the facts, and I’ve always been myself.”

“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,” he added. “I also believe that we, as a local news station, have to be more than trends or sanitized 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.”

KWQC is a station based in Davenport, Iowa, and reports news from the Quad Cities, which include Davenport, Iowa; Bettendorf, Iowa; Rock Island, Ill. and Molain, Ill. According to Nolan’s LinkedIn, he’s been working at the station since 2022.

Nolan is married to his KWQC co-anchor, Jenna, whom he thanked on his sign-off: “The hardest part of this job for me is the realization that I won’t be working with Jenna anymore, because she isn’t just the greatest go anchor on the news desk, but she is the greatest co-anchor in life as well.”