America's Storyteller?

Since its founding in the late 1960s, PBS has presented itself as a trusted home for America’s multitude of stories and experiences. An inclusive space of exploration and education, for all. So when independent filmmaker Grace Lee published an essay in 2020—calling out public broadcasting’s overreliance on “America’s storyteller,” documentarian Ken Burns—her words set off a chain of events that reached the highest levels of PBS leadership. Soon after, a group of filmmakers joined Grace in asking PBS why they relied so heavily on one white male director’s perspective to tell the history of our country and its people. They were left with more questions than answers. Welcome to Viewers Like Us, a new podcast series that explores: What will it take to restore the entire public to public media?

Explore show notes, episode transcript and more at: https://viewerslikeus.com/podcast/episode-1-americas-storyteller/