Breaking the News

By: MJ Asuncion

The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote. Though for generations millions of women, particularly women of color, were excluded. Even in the present day there are still states where voter suppression exists, putting barriers to voting to tens of thousands of transgender Americans. Named after the Nineteenth Amendment, The 19th* became the first nonprofit, nonpartisan news agency in the United States reporting on gender, politics and policy. Breaking the News is a documentary about its origin, its members and the inner workings of the newsroom.

Journalist Emily Ramshaw recognized that women and LGBTQ+ people are underrepresented in politics and in newsroom leadership. As Donald Trump was getting sworn in as President and the Women’s March had just taken place, Emily decided to take action to form The 19th*. Emily and co-founder Amanda Zamora had just secured funding when the global pandemic hit. The world was thrown into crisis and uncertainty. The Breaking the News documentary follows the struggle to launch The 19th* and the fight to gain traction amongst a society that believes journalism to be dead.

One of The 19th*’s editors, Erin Haines, was one of the first writers to do in-depth coverage on the killing of Breonna Taylor during the Black Lives Matter movement. Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020 when at least seven police officers forced entry as part of a drug dealing investigation. This piece essentially put The 19^th* on the map, bringing necessary attention to this shocking tragedy and the fact that people are continuously being gendered and racially profiled. Another member and writer for the 19^th*, Kate Sosin, speaks freely on how welcoming the organization is compared to other newsrooms, but how in the beginning they also had much room for improvement. There was a lack of LGBTQ+ journalists within the members and Sosin was tasked with the bulk of the coverage, especially anything focusing on transgender rights.

Directors Heather Courtney, Chelsea Hernandez and Princess A. Hairston did a marvelous job in capturing the hard work, stress, passion and perseverance of the journalists. You feel as if you are alongside them during their interviews and as they write these important stories. Heather Courtney is a documentary director and producer whose films have screened at SXSW, Silverdocs, Slamdance and aired nationally on the PBS programs POV and ITVS. Heather is known for Where Soldiers Come From (2011), which won an Emmy, the Independent Spirit Truer Than Fiction Award and a SXSW Jury Award. Chelsea Hernandez is a Mexican-American filmmaker who has worked for ten years in the documentary television and film industry. Hernandez has directed and produced various documentary films including An Uncertain Future, the 2018 SXSW Texas Short Jury Winner. She made her feature directorial debut in 2019 with the award-winning documentary Building the American Dream. Princess A. Hairston is an editor and filmmaker who edits feature-length documentaries and narrative shorts, web series and branded content. Hairston also directs and produces feature-length films and short films.

The 19th* puts focus on the impact of national politics and policy on women and coverage of issues impacting people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. It is the first of its kind and vital to the population. Breaking the News allows the audience a firsthand look at its founders, journalists and members. The film will raise more awareness to the ongoing fight for representation and equality. It is inspiring and informative to see The 19th* in action and I am thankful for its existence.