Press Releases
WCNY Examines the Critical Challenges to Affirmative Action in New Documentary
by
February 14, 2023
WCNY, Central New York’s public communications organization, will premiere its locally produced documentary “Equal Protection: The Supreme Court’s Battle with Affirmative Action” at 8 p.m. on Feb. 19 on WCNY-TV.
The documentary is an examination of race-based decision making as two cases before the court challenge its use in college admissions. Interviews with scholars and key participants illuminate affirmative action’s judicial history, its future, and the passion that surrounds it.
“By placing one of the nation’s most controversial issues in historical context, ‘Equal Protection’ is of particular interest in Central New York, home to many top institutions of higher education,” said Mitch Gelman, president and CEO at WCNY and a co-writer of the documentary.
“This film explains the Supreme Court’s struggles with race-conscious decision making,” said co-writer Thomas Seeley. “It looks at how justices can interpret the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment differently and explores how college admissions might change if the right to use affirmative action to create a diverse student body is ended.”
“Equal Protection: The Supreme Court’s Battle with Affirmative Action” is a local production co-written by Seeley, an Emmy award-winning television writer, and Gelman, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, and edited by WCNY’s Eric Hayden.
WCNY partnered on the film with RetroReport and The Hechinger Report. It is funded in part through a grant from the Pulitzer Center and underwriting from JP Morgan Chase.
The documentary will premiere on WCNY-TV and will be broadcast by other public television stations across the country. It will also re-air on March 20 at 9 p.m. and April 5 at 8 p.m. on WCNY-TV.
Visit wcny.org/equalprotection to learn more about the documentary. For viewing information, visit wcny.org/wheretowatch.
About WCNY
WCNY was founded in 1965 as The Educational Television Council of Central New York. Today, it is a public communications organization that produces content across multiple platforms, including television and radio programs, dynamic web and targeted email content, the WCNY CONNECT magazine, and social media. Through its media platforms, in-person and virtual events, WCNY brings local coverage and educational services to Central New Yorkers. WCNY operates four digital, pledge-free broadcast channels and three radio stations. Classic FM is one of a few radio stations in the world dedicated to locally programmed classical music.
###
◄ Back to News
