ACT Year-Round

THE FILM:

Emily Ramshaw and Amanda Zamora wanted to do something radical about the white men dominating newsrooms. “70% of policy and politics editors are men, almost all of them are white,” says Emily. “These are the people deciding which stories are told, who is telling them, and whether they will be on the front page or the back page, if they get there at all.”

So, Emily and Amanda along with Editor-at-Large Errin Haines and a scrappy group of fearless women and LGBTQ+ journalists band together to buck the status quo and launch The 19th*, a digital news start-up. Named after the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote, but with an asterisk to acknowledge the Black women and women of color who were omitted, the 19th’s work is guided everyday by the asterisk – asking who is being omitted from the story, and how can they be included.

Errin Haines covers politics and race, including breaking the first national story on the killing of Breonna Taylor. Emerging Latina reporter Chabeli Carrazana is based in Florida and reports on gender and the economy. LA-based Kate Sosin, a nonbinary reporter, covers LGBTQ+ stories, including the large numbers of anti-trans bills becoming law in states around the country. The film documents the honest discussions at The 19th* around race and gender equity, revealing that change doesn’t come easy, and showcasing how one newsroom 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, Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, Chelsea Hernandez, 2023, United State, 99 minutes, English with English Captions

Special Guest Speakers:

Chelsea Hernandez is an Emmy-nominated Mexican-American Director and Producer based in Texas. Named as DOC NYC’s 2021 40 Under 40 Class, she is a 2021 Telly Award Winner for her feature documentary BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM, which was also nominated for a National Emmy® the same year. Chelsea’s producing work spans over 15 years in television and film. She is a WarnerMedia 150 Artist for a fiction film in development. Chelsea is a former fellow of Firelight Media Doc Lab, BAVC, Tribeca All Access and NALIP Latino Media Market. She is also a founding member of Tejanas in Film, a collective that aims to empower Latina filmmakers who identify as Tejanas.

Alexandra Smith is The 19th’s interim chief product officer and audience director. She has more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of audience, product and news, previously working at the media startup WhereBy.Us and local newspapers The Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Asbury Park Press. Connect with Alexandra: @alexandraleighs.

Moderated by Journalism and Media Communication Associate Professor Dr. Tori Omega Arthur.

SCREENING DETAILS:

Presented in partnership with Colorado State University’s Office for Inclusive Excellence and Thematic Year of Democracy, Breaking the News will be shown at CSU’s Lory Student Center Theatre. Everyone is welcome. Note: the film will be shown in open captions.

Reception features heavy appetizers and a cash bar.

October 23, 2023 | Free | Reception at 5:00 p.m. | Film at 6:00 p.m. | Parking