PBS boss denies that the network favors Ken Burns at the expense of minority filmmakers

TheWrap

“We create lots of opportunities for many filmmakers,” PBS CEO and president Paula Kerger said at the TV press tour, according to The Wrap. “Ken himself … mentors a number of filmmakers who now have quite established careers have all come up through his shop, and he has a deep commitment to mentoring diverse filmmakers.” Kerger was responding to an essay from documentary filmmaker and PBS Asian Americans producer Grace Lee, in which she criticized PBS for devoting dozens of hours of programming to Burns, which she argued took opportunities away from filmmakers of color. “The decades-long interdependence of PBS decision-makers, philanthropists, and corporate funders with one white, male filmmaker highlights the racial and cultural inequities perpetuated by this system,” Lee wrote. “The amount of broadcast hours, financial support (from viewers like who?), and marketing muscle devoted to one man’s lens on America has severed PBS from its very roots. Wasn’t the initial goal to break down inequality?” Kerger responded: “I read Grace’s piece, and I respectfully disagree. I think she’s a very talented filmmaker; we’ve worked with her on a number of projects and I envision will continue to work with her. … I think that it is incorrect to look at Ken and then compare that to others. We are committed to a rich pipeline with lots of voices, and we will continue to look for ways that we can bring even more people forward.”

ALSO:

• PBS boss Paula Kerger cites "good relationship" with President Biden and “deep support” in hoping the government helps with the network's funding shortage
• Directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick are promising a "nuanced" portrait of Ernest Hemingway in their three-part, six-hour documentary Hemingway, premiering in April
• PBS will tackle the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with the May 31 documentary Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten