Classic 1960 CBS Documentary, HARVEST OF SHAME, Created by Edward R. Murrow, to Air on Discovery Times Channel

Classic 1960 CBS Documentary, HARVEST OF SHAME, Created by Edward R. Murrow, to Air on Discovery Times Channel

- Walter Cronkite Introduces Discovery Times Viewers to Groundbreaking Documentary About Migrant Farm Workers in America -

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Walter Cronkite hosts a special evening on Discovery Times Channel celebrating the groundbreaking 1960 documentary HARVEST OF SHAME. Created by renowned journalist Edward R. Murrow and originally produced by CBS News, this film brought to light the deplorable conditions of farmworkers in America and put the issue squarely on the national agenda. Discovery Times Channel will air the documentary on Thursday, March 17, at 9 PM (ET/PT) as part of DISCOVERY TIMES SCREENING ROOM, a weekly series showcasing authored documentaries that are personal and thought provoking.

"HARVEST OF SHAME is considered by many television historians to be the forerunner of today's long-form journalistic documentaries," said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager, Discovery Times Channel. "We wanted to bring this important piece of programming history to viewers to help them understand and celebrate the art form of documentary filmmaking, especially given the growing public interest in the craft."

Murrow's report was one of the first hard-hitting documentaries to air on American television, and it shocked the nation with its depiction of the problems of the migrant farmworker. Originally premiering on Thanksgiving Day in 1960, HARVEST OF SHAME is a graphic portrait of the terrible working and living conditions of the very people who helped put food on the traditional Thanksgiving table. The resulting public outcry helped put farmworker conditions on the political agenda. In 1962, Congress enacted the Migrant Health Act, which called for the development of health care clinics for farmworkers and their families, among other initiatives.

In the documentary, shot in black and white, Murrow traced the routes that migrant workers took on the East and West Coasts as they followed the harvest. In the process, he showed the inadequate housing facilities, the lack of educational opportunities as well as the hardships they endured. One of the areas he focused on was Florida's Palm Beach County, one of state's wealthiest areas.

The Discovery Times Channel (http://www.discovery.com/times) combines the journalistic authority of The New York Times with the programming excellence of Discovery Communications to bring viewers provocative, engaging and relevant documentary series and specials about the events and ideas shaping our times. The network has won multiple industry honors for its breakthrough programming, including an Emmy, an Overseas Press Club Award, three National Headliner Awards, a BANFF Rockie Award, and has had a film selected for competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Available to more than 35 million subscribers in the United States, the Discovery Times Channel is a joint venture between The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT) and Discovery Communications, Inc., the leading global real-world media and entertainment company.

Web site: http://www.discovery.com/times

Source: Discovery Times Channel

CONTACT: Denise Arrigali, +1-678-580-1245, darrigali@comcast.net, for the Discovery Times Channel, or Reenie Kuhlman of the Discovery Times Channel, +1-240-662-2937, reenie_kuhlman@discovery.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: To download photos for HARVEST OF SHAME, go to http://www.press.discovery.com. Log in or register and click on US; Discovery Times Channel; HARVEST OF SHAME.

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