Plumbing 
Uvalde Leader-News owner and publisher Craig Garnett through the viewfinder of an ABC News camera.
The ABC News film “Print it Black” which chronicles one year of the newspaper’s coverage of the Robb Elementary School shooting will premiere April 28 at the Dallas International Film Festival.
For the approximately 86-minute film, Andrew Fredericks and Megan Hundahl Streete embedded with newspaper staff for the year after the tragedy.
The film also shares the story of Robb Elementary fourth-grader Lexi Rubio, whose mother, Kimberly Mata-Rubio, has worked at the newspaper for 11 of the last 13 years.
Lexi is among the 19 children and two teachers who died as a result of the May 24, 2022, mass shooting.
The ULN’s agreement to work with ABC on the project was multi-pronged, providing the newspaper a chance to examine the gun violence crisis in America and show viewers the impact the epidemic has had in Uvalde through the lens of community journalism.
In the same vein, by allowing filmmakers to embed in the ULN newsroom, viewers will see first-hand what it was like to produce content during this traumatic and life-changing event.
The documentary also serves as a powerful reminder of the crucial role of community newspapers. In an era when the loss of local news is accelerating, with an average of 2.5 closures per week in 2023, hundreds of counties will be news deserts. This film underscores the importance of local journalism in America.
According to the Atlantic, researchers have linked the decline of local news to decreased voter participation, higher rates of corruption, increased polarization, and more ideologically extreme elected officials.
The Dallas Film Festival is a weeklong event that runs from April 25 to May 2. It will feature hundreds of films from varying genres.
Further details will be made available on the Dallas International Film Festival website, dallasfilm.org/
Lexi Rubio
