Indie Lens Pop-Up and RiverRun Present “Breaking the News”

Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS, and RiverRun will host a screening of “Breaking the News,” a critically-acclaimed documentary by Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, Chelsea Hernandez, and Diane Quon. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Gale Melcher, a journalist with Triad City Beat, and Chanel Davis, editor-in-chief of YES! Weekly and president of the Triad Association of Black Journalists.

The 65-minute screening and panel discussion are free, open to the public, and will take place on Thursday, February 29 at 7 p.m. at the Forsyth County Central Library at 660 West Fifth Street in Winston-Salem. The panel discussion will be a candid conversation about the current state of the news media surrounding gender and race equality and what it means to push against the tide to lift up untold stories and marginalized voices.

“Breaking the News” follows the launch of The 19th*, a news startup that bucks the white, male-dominated news industry, asking who has been omitted from mainstream coverage and what’s the best way to include them. Bringing viewers right into the newsroom during tense moments as The 19th* launches in a pandemic amid rising social unrest, the film provides a lucid picture of what it takes to challenge the status quo and break the mold in American media. With footage spanning three years, the film documents honest discussions at The 19th* around race and gender equity, revealing that change doesn’t come easily and showcasing how The 19th* confronts these challenges both as a workplace and in their journalism. But this film is about more than a newsroom. It’s about America in flux, and the voices that are often left out of the American story.

“Breaking the News” debuted on February 19 at 10 p.m. on PBS and the PBS App (check local listings).  For more information, visit: pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/breaking-the-news/.

About Indie Lens Pop-Up

Indie Lens Pop-Up is a community series that brings people together for film screenings and conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most. Learn more at pbs.org/indielenspopup.

About INDEPENDENT LENS 


INDEPENDENT LENS is an Emmy® Award-winning PBS documentary series. With founding executive producer Lois Vossen, the series has been honored with 10 Academy Award nominations and features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Stream anytime on the PBS App. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens.

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