Richen: I’ll say that Brad positively took on the duty of reaching out to the white descendants. And that is smart, as a result of it was delicate materials. We had individuals who agreed to speak and individuals who didn’t need to be part of it. I wasn’t all that hopeful of what number of white descendants that we’d ultimately get, and I’m actually grateful for those that participated. It’s not straightforward, but it surely’s so crucial.
Chatting with the journalism piece of the movie, the newspapers of the time in some methods resemble social media immediately when it comes to the best way info was communicated. The place do you see social media becoming into the information house now?
Richen: So many individuals we all know are getting their information from social media, and what meaning is likely one of the issues I take into consideration with my journalism college students. How can we train them to tell apart misinformation from actual information? That was worrisome earlier than the latest election, and Donald Trump has made it clear that journalists are not his finest pals. It’s a really worrisome time. Colleges need to recalibrate what it means for the journalism and for college students.
Lichtenstein: It’s scary as a result of the type of social media is so brief and its half-life is even shorter, however its cultural influence is amplified. That simply looks as if a recipe for an uninformed citizenry. On the time of Wilmington, newspapers had agendas they had been pushing, however even essentially the most racist and skewed articles had anyplace from 9 to 12 paragraphs!
American Coup was made for PBS, and there’s a priority that public tv might see its funds slashed below the brand new administration. Are you involved about getting future tasks arrange at these shops?
Lichtenstein: I’m much less involved about the place my subsequent venture will likely be, however I believe public media at all times must make the case for itself within the framework our democracy. Business media has to concentrate to the monetary backside line, however public media is accountable to democracy and what a democracy calls for of individuals and its residents. I do know that sounds highfalutin, however for those who simply evaluate Netflix’s launch schedule to public media’s launch schedule, you’re going to see that the latter is taking Individuals inside communities and intervals of historical past, and asking arduous questions.
