Belleville News-Democrat’s ‘Then I Knew’ documentary nominated for Mid-America Emmy

A Belleville News-Democrat documentary titled “Then I Knew” was nominated for a Mid-America Emmy Thursday night in the short format program category.

This is the first Emmy nomination the newsroom has received in its 160-year history.

“Then I Knew” was produced by BND reporter Cara Anthony and former BND photojournalist Julian Lim.

The online series tackles the issues of race and identity by asking African Americans about the first time they realized that the color of their skin could affect the way they are treated by others.

“‘Then I Knew’ was born out of the need for a long-form story about the state of black America,” Anthony said in July. “Daily stories about tragedy and triumph in my community only share a very small part of the big picture. ‘Then I Knew’ explores the silence between joy and pain. It’s about everyday life as a black American.”

On Thursday, Lim said he was proud of the work he and Anthony had done.

“The nomination proves that we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, which is shed more light on this subject,” he said. “This particular piece takes a more subtle approach than what most people see on TV, or read or hear on the news.”

The Emmy nomination comes after “Then I Knew” won the top award in the audio/visual category at the second annual Excellence in Poverty Journalism Awards sponsored by St. Louis-based ArchCity Defenders.

The award recognizes journalists for in-depth reporting on poverty, race and class. It beat out entries in that category from other St. Louis media.

Emmy winners will be announced Sept. 22 at the Mid-America Emmy Gala in Kansas City.

This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 8:28 PM.