"Running Towards the Fire: A War Correspondent's Story" Documentary Screening and Discussion presented by Barney McCoy

A documentary screening and audience discussion with director Barney McCoy of “Running Towards the Fire.” The 57-minute film captures the pivotal roles war correspondents played during the Allied forces’ 1944 D-Day invasion of Europe and the subsequent defeat of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers in 1945. Discussion will follow the screening. **This program will last 90 minutes.**

The war correspondents were unsung heroes who risked their lives informing the world with firsthand accounts of the bravery and sacrifice of American and Allied forces. The documentary draws extensively from the previously unpublished memoirs of Robert Reuben. The Omaha-born war correspondent parachuted into Normandy, France, hours before the D-Day invasion and was the first journalist on the ground. Reuben chronicled the Allies’ liberation of France and Belgium and fierce fighting in Germany that forced the Nazis’ May 7, 1945, surrender.

“Running Towards the Fire” also pays tribute to the courage and resilience of the men and women who fought tyranny in World War II. Through newspaper articles, radio broadcasts and film reports, war correspondents such as Reuben boosted the morale of soldiers and civilians by highlighting the sacrifices they made in the pursuit of freedom.

Barney McCoy teaches documentary, multimedia, broadcast news and depth reporting courses in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Kansas and Michigan State University. Before arriving at UNL, McCoy was a full-time journalist and continues to direct and produce award-winning news and documentary projects to news organizations across the country.

This program is sponsored by Humanities Nebraska. We appreciate their support!