Virginia Film Festival

With men—often white men—making up 70% of policy and politics editors, journalists Emily Ramshaw and Amanda Zamora decided it was high time to create a new way to share political news. Thus was born The 19th*, a digital news startup named for the amendment that gave women the right to vote, but with an asterisk added to acknowledge the Black women and women of color the legal reform initially omitted.

Filmmakers Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez seek to illuminate the honest discussions around race, gender equity, inclusion happening at The 19th*. They document ongoing challenges women and non-binary journalists face in confronting inclusion in the workplace and throughout the industry. Breaking the News highlights the dire importance of addressing who writes and shares stories in newsrooms across the United States. 

Introduction by Andre Cavalcante (UVA).

Closed Captions are available for this screening and assistive devices are available upon request with advance notice. Visit VAFF Accessibility for more information.