PBS Airs Highland Park Resident's Documentary

With social study and media production classes at  (DHS) and two young children at home, you’d think Highland Park resident Brett Schwartz would have a full plate. But that’s what the summer’s for, the local teacher remarked about squeezing in time to also research, direct, produce, shoot and edit an independent feature film.

“Rather than taking the breather that I needed to be doing, my days were about as long as they are teaching,” Schwartz recalled of his previous summer workload. “They were about 10-12-13-hour days, where I would have to lock myself in the editing room.”

After 2 and a half years, Schwartz’s documentary, Mashed Media, a piece that takes a look at Chicago's journalism industry and its future, aired on PBS last week. 

“This is a documentary--which is a form of media--about the media and then the media is going to write about that,” an excited but anxious Schwartz said about the documentary's airtime.

“In the film, I wasn’t trying to provide any particular real conclusion. I was just trying to--kind of what I do in terms of teaching--give you stories, facts, and let the viewer walk away and digest it rather than bang you over the head.”

Schwartz originally came up with the idea for Mashed Media in 2009.

“I was really concerned about what happens when we have more information than ever before but we get it differently,” the avid newspaper reader said. “Part of what the film does address is the multitude of options that you have for any kind of information that you want--whether it’s in video or reading.”

So Schwartz set off to follow a few of Chicago’s new age journalists like bloggers and social media gurus. In doing so, he recorded everything along the way.

One person was Adrian Holovaty who at the age of 23 used his "hacker-programmer skills" to launch a journalism website. Five years later, the start-up EveryBlock was bought by MSNBC.com in 2009. 

“The practice for much of the 20th century and a little bit less so now has been to really strive for objectivity, for better or for worse, and you knew when you turned to the back of the newspaper you were getting perspective of the editorial,” Schwartz said about some of his findings.

“Now that’s up-ended and we see that it’s really the opinion that’s floating to the top and more of just the facts map that’s harder to find,” he added.

The documentary has been licensed to WTTW, the local public television station, for the next three years and Schwartz plans on seeing it through distribution.

His next venture? “I don’t even have a notebook,” the DHS teacher said about possible ideas, but he doesn’t plan on waiting very long to pick one up.