NPR
Creating a More Diverse Rolodex: Using Social Media As a Sourcing Tool
On his second day on the job, NPR’s new President & CEO Gary Knell tweeted, “Diversity is essential. We must reflect more of America, be accessible & relevant.” One way NPR is increasing diversity is through social media.

Join NPR and NCME on Wednesday, December 14 at 2PM ET / 11AM PT for a webinar on using social media to increase the diversity of your sources. Luis Clemens from NPR will share best practices and discuss the value of developing more diverse sources in journalism. Register now. Find more info on the presenters below the jump.
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ITVS in the News
A sampling of coverage from PBS NewsHour, The Boston Herald, NPR, and more…
PBS NewsHour‘s The Rundown: We Still Live Here Traces Comeback of Wampanoag Indian Language
On Thursday’s NewsHour, we’ll feature an excerpt of the film We Still Live Here, which tells the story of the return of the Wampanoag Indian language, the first time a language with no native speakers has been revived in this country. It’s part of our series, in partnership with The Economist magazine, showcasing the art of filmmaking.
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Interview with The Hayloft Gang Filmmaker Stephen Parry
By Kate Sullivan Green
Narrated by NPR’s Garrison Keillor, The Hayloft Gang tells the story of one of early radio’s most popular programs: the National Barn Dance and ITVS’s Kate Sullivan Green recently sat down with Directror/Producer Stephen Parry to talk about the film. Read the interview below, watch The Hayloft Gang on PBS throughout September (check local listings), and enter the special online video contest.
Why did you decide to make a film about the National Barn Dance?
It’s an untold story in American music and culture. I fell in love with bluegrass at my first festival in 1994, and around the campfires heard all these old timers talking about this radio show out of Chicago called the National Barn Dance. From there I uncovered that Chicago was actually the capital of country music before World War II. The Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville are household names today, but in the 1930s and 40s, the epicenter of our film, Chicago was top dog coast to coast, on the NBC network every Saturday night, and those performers were household names.
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170 Million Campaign Marches On
A national webinar will be held on Tuesday, June 28 at 2 p.m. ET to discuss plans for the next phase of the 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting campaign.
More than 370,000 citizen advocates have joined the 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting campaign, surpassing the organization’s original goal of securing 250,000 advocates. As a a result, 170 Million has set their sites on a new target, one million advocates! The campaign relies on grassroots support to defend federal funding, which is vital to sustain local public media stations and organizations.
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ITVS in the News
A sampling of coverage from The New York Times, indieWIRE, NPR and more…
New York Times: A TV Project Planned on Female Leadership
The Independent Television Service and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are teaming up for a three-year, 50-film project called “Women and Girls Lead,” which will put a documentary spotlight on leadership roles of women and girls and the challenges they face in the United States and worldwide.
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indieWIRE Blog – Women and Hollywood: ITVS Launches Women and Girls Lead
This is “a major public media initiative that uses independent films to focus, educate, and connect audiences in support of women and girl’s leadership and development around the world.” There will also be an educational outreach component to the project and they will partner with organizations like the Girl Scouts that focus on these issues. › Continue reading
America Ferrera Makes PBS Programming a Habit
The Independent Lens host lists a few reasons why Public Television is more important today than ever before.
Art, history, science, news, and great documentaries are among the many reasons to make PBS a habit. No cable subscription required!
Catch host America Ferrera Tuesday night’s on Independent Lens and tune in next week for the inspirational story of Congo survivor Rose Mapendo in Pushing the Elephant, airing Tuesday, March 29.
Show your support for Public Television with more than half the country at http://www.170millionamericans.org/.
ITVS in the News
A sampling of coverage from The New York Times, NPR and more
New York Times: With a Voice and a Spirit, Triumphing Over Racism
Barbara Smith Conrad, a black child of the segregated South, did not seek to vote or to ride in the front of the bus. She just wanted to sing.
NPR’s The Story: When I Rise
Tonight, PBS is broadcasting a documentary film, When I Rise, about the extraordinary life of Barbara Smith Conrad. Barbara is a gifted black mezzo-soprano who, as a music student at the University of Texas, found herself in a civil rights storm when she was cast in a leading role opposite a white student.
A Grassroots Effort Rallies Behind Public Television
UPCOMING CONGRESSIONAL VOTE THREATENS TO ELIMINATE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
Every month, more than 170 million Americans use public radio, television and online services for news, education, arts and cultural content. That’s a majority of the country. Over the next few days, Congress will take a critical vote to eliminate all federal support for public broadcasting.
ITVS in the News
A SAMPLING OF COVERAGE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, CBS NEWS, NPR AND MORE…
New York Times: Documentary Drama at the Oscars
Instead the contenders are mostly smaller films from lesser-known filmmakers: Waste Land, about the artist Vik Muniz, set against the backdrop of a massive garbage dump in Rio de Janeiro… with most of the feature film and acting categories apparently sewn up… the documentaries are one area where there is still some drama.
In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs
Visit our pressroom to find additional coverage of ITVS programs.

Deep Down Film Brings Kentucky’s Mountaintop Removal Battle to PBS Viewers
Deep Down is an exceptional film, and a profoundly informative one, and should be required viewing for every American in our 48 states that burns coal–especially the new junior senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul.
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Tell Me More: Investigating Indian Brothers’ Fate In Lost Sparrow
Two Crow Indian brothers had run away from the white Baptist family that adopted them out of a troubled home on the Crow reservation in Montana. Over seven years in their adoptive home, they had discovered a dark secret and were headed back to the reservation when they were killed. Host Michel Martin talks with filmmaker Chris Billing about his documentary Lost Sparrow, which details his quest to find out what happened to his adoptive brothers and to confront a painful family history.
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