McClatchy Studios' New Documentary Series "The War Within" to Stream on Facebook Watch Beginning November 28
10-Part Series Focuses on the Journey to Find Purpose and Meaning After Military Life for Service Personnel Coping with the Hidden Effects of War
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- McClatchy (NYSE American: MNI) announced today "The War Within," an ambitious documentary series from McClatchy Studios, will begin streaming on Facebook Watch beginning November 28. The series examines the hidden effects of war and challenges of post-military life for U.S. service personnel after their tours of duty in Afghanistan.
An official trailer for "The War Within" can be found here. The series features 10 weekly episodes and runs through January 30, 2019. Each episode is about 10 minutes long.
"The War Within" focuses on three main characters dealing with the complicated aftermath of their military service. Each is at a different stage of his or her journey to find new purpose and meaning. The series illuminates their emotional struggles, courage to persevere through difficulty and ultimately, their resilience.
- Assal Ravandi was born in Iran, but sought political asylum in the United States with her family during her early teenage years. Following her PTSD diagnosis after serving with the Army in Afghanistan, she founded the Vettys, an awards platform that recognizes remarkable veterans and veterans organizations.
- Scott Whisler was diagnosed with PTSD after his deployment to southern Afghanistan. After eight years, he found connection and opportunity for leadership in the Tacoma, Washington chapter of a running and fitness club for veterans, Team Red, White & Blue.
- Davon Goodwin survived an IED explosion in his tank in Afghanistan. When he returned to North Carolina, he was diagnosed with PTSD and traumatic brain injury and experienced a host of issues including outbursts of rage, anxiety and narcolepsy, which prevented him from pursuing his PhD. He found his purpose and healing in farming and has become an agricultural leader working on issues of food justice and sustainable farming.
"These are poignant, local stories that deserve to be told to a national audience," said Andrew Pergam, Vice President of News Operations and New Ventures at McClatchy. "The Facebook Watch platform allows us not only to share the servicemembers' stories of perseverance and sacrifice, it also allows us to help engage the proud, supportive community that rallies around these real-life heroes."
"This is the kind of series that builds deep connections and community across Facebook," said Shelley Venus, Video Lead, News Partnerships at Facebook. "We are thrilled to be able to provide a way for the stories of these incredible veterans to reach people on our platform, and help bring attention to these critical issues facing our military."
The documentary series is part of "The War Within Initiative," announced by McClatchy on Veterans Day. The initiative encompasses a three-month-long fundraising effort to help ease the burden of medical debt among veterans, servicemembers and their families, in partnership with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that buys bundles of debt at a steep discount and forgives it. As part of the fundraising drive, McClatchy will run a social media campaign on the Facebook pages of the company's 30 newsrooms across 14 states and include a call to action on behalf of RIP Medical Debt at the end of each episode of "The War Within" on Facebook Watch. The McClatchy Foundation kickstarted the campaign with a donation that will eliminate $1 million in medical debt for military families.
With more than half of its 30 local newsrooms located within one hour of a U.S. military base, McClatchy is uniquely positioned to tell the stories of our nation's military personnel and help them with some of their most pressing financial challenges.
About McClatchy Studios
McClatchy Studios is the documentary production arm of McClatchy (NYSE American: MNI) and is dedicated to revelatory nonfiction storytelling driven by local characters with national appeal. We tap into the rich, on-the-ground reporting by our team of of multimedia journalists based in local communities across the US and package it in formats that engage audiences on a variety of platforms. We find compelling ways to embrace everything storytelling can be — inspiring, motivating and entertaining.
About Facebook Watch:
Facebook Watch is a place to discover and enjoy shows on Facebook. Home to a wide range of shows – from scripted comedy and drama, to competition and reality series, to individual creators and live sports – Facebook Watch is a video platform where episodic content, community and conversation come together. This is a personalized viewing experience, where you can discover new series based on what your friends are watching, and catch up on the shows you follow. Facebook Watch is available for free on mobile apps across Apple and Android, on desktop, laptop and on TV apps listed here: https://videoapp.fb.com
About RIP Medical Debt
RIP Medical Debt is a nonprofit that buys and forgives medical debt across America. RIP works with individual donors, philanthropists and organizations to purchase medical debt for pennies on the dollar to provide financial relief for those burdened by impossible medical bills. Founded in 2014 by two former collections industry executives, Craig Antico & Jerry Ashton, RIP rose to national prominence on an episode of HBO's "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver in which RIP facilitated the abolishment of $15M in medical debt. To learn more visit www.ripmedicaldebt.org
SOURCE McClatchy
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