WNET Up Next: Ed Hersh, Chasing the Dream: Poverty & Opportunity in America

WNET UP Next

Ed Hersh, Producer of “Chasing the Dream: Poverty & Opportunity in America” is the featured guest on this edition of WNET Up Next. “Chasing the Dream” is the umbrella title for an ongoing and sustaining look at the issues of poverty and economic opportunity that currently face the United States. Instead of being merely a single program, a series, or a website, the initiative is a huge collaborative effort for generating reports that appear across multiple platforms online, on air, on cable, and in social media. So far over 100 stories have been covered, appearing everywhere from WLIW’s MetroFocus and Long Island Business Report to the PBS Newshour and PBS Newshour Weekend, to NJTV, and to local public media stations around the country, not to mention a very active Facebook presence. To access the project’s content, log onto www.PBS.org/chasingthedream.

In his conversation with Tom Stewart, Ed also points the way toward two “Chasing the Dream” documentaries which are appearing on PBS on Friday evening, October 7th. “Getting Ahead” takes host Tavis Smiley on an investigation of the issue of the minimum wage with a look at life in Northern California. “Dream On”, a film by Roger Weisberg, follows comedian John Fugelsang as he retraces the journey made famous by Alexis deTocqueville recounted in his “Democracy in America”. We also learn about an online series from NJTV, “Voices from Atlantic City”, which is an example of content that has found a home on many other websites and will soon, itself, become a television broadcast.

With a extensive career ranging from print to broadcast to cable, and now online, Ed appreciates that public media is not driven by “monitizing”, but is devoted to getting important information into the world and stimulating public discourse. He also has some great advice for anyone considering a career in the world of media!

Recorded on September 22, 2016

A Presentation of the Design and On Air Promotion Department WNET – New York Public Media

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