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“Breaking the News” — the film following the inception, launch, and fledgling triumphs and challenges of The 19th’s newsroom — is available to stream for free on the PBS app and PBS.org through March 30, 2025.
When The 19th went live on Jan. 27, 2020, “our work — critical reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy — had never felt more needed,” CEO Emily Ramshaw wrote on The 19th’s fourth anniversary last month. Now, several years, a pandemic and nearly 60 employees later, an award-winning documentary film about that period is available for 19th fans and readers who want to witness those early days for themselves.
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“Breaking the News” is a time capsule that spans major news events critical to The 19th’s evolution: the coronavirus pandemic, the killing of Breonna Taylor, the overturning of Roe v. Wade. It also documents The 19th’s internal struggles to overhaul age-old industry precedents while taking responsibility for its own shortcomings.
“Nothing about making this film — or watching it — was easy,” Ramshaw said. “But we’re so grateful that the filmmakers stuck with it, and with us, and we think it’s a hopeful portrait of how newsrooms can evolve together.”
Where and how to watch
“Breaking The News” premiered on the Independent Lens program on PBS on Feb. 19, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET.
The film is streaming on the PBS Documentaries channel on Amazon Prime Video. It will also be available to stream for free on the PBS app and PBS.org through March 30, 2025.
“Breaking the News” premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival in June 2023, won the 2023 David Carr Award for Truth in Filmmaking at the Montclair Film Festival, and was nominated for outstanding documentary for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Its broadcast premiere was in February 2024 on PBS. The film was directed and produced by Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston and Chelsea Hernandez, and produced by Diane Quon.
Bonus content
If you’re looking for more about the documentary, a panel discussion with “Breaking the News’” filmmakers and 19th staff — hosted by Senior News Anchor at The Washington Post Libby Casey — is available on our YouTube channel.
