Directed by Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez, English, 1 hour 39 minutes, USA, 2023

Join us in screening Breaking the News as part of the annual Women Take The Reel Film Festival. 

Frustrated by the dearth of women and people of color in the media, Emily Ramshaw wanted to do something radical about the white men dominating newsrooms. So, in 2020, she and a motivated group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists banded together to buck the status quo and launch The 19th*, a digital news start-up based in Austin, Texas. 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 by the asterisk—asking who is overlooked in the story and how they can be included. With reporters spread across the country, they cover national news on politics and policy from the lens of marginalized communities historically ignored by legacy newsrooms. 

Philadelphia-based editor-at-large Errin Haines covers politics and often breaks major stories including 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 increase of anti-trans bills being passed by states. The film documents the honest discussions at The 19th* around race and gender equity, revealing that change doesn’t come easy, and showcases 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.

The screening will take place on March 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM. A Q&A discussion with special guests follows the screening.

This event is free and open to the public. 

Location:

Northeastern University

130 Hurtig Hall

334 Huntington Ave,

Boston, MA