Nick Shirley Jolted Minnesota Politics. But Is He Really ‘Independent’?

Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old self-described “independent journalist,” garnered national attention last month when he claimed to have uncovered $110 million in alleged fraud schemes in Minnesota’s day care centers.

His 42-minute viral video turned up the heat on Gov. Tim Walz, who dropped his reelection bid Monday, and helped spur a large-scale federal response, with the Trump administration freezing billions in social services funding to Minnesota and four other blue states.

But unlike traditional journalists...