Anderson and I are jazzed about a terrific new project we are debuting in the 11 p.m. hour tonight. We're building the show around three short documentaries shot and produced by students from U.C. Berkeley's graduate school of journalism.
These students -- ages 25-35 -- fanned out across the world in groups of two to produce reports providing a sense of what life is like for American soldiers. What we've done is take their material (though we did not edit it other than to shorten it to fit our format) and weave in Anderson's interviews with the grad students to get a fresh feel for who really is fighting overseas for America.
This is not an hour about casualty stats. But instead, you will really get to know some of the young people serving our country aboard the supply ship USS Tortuga and at a military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and at a number of bases in the Middle East. The students' work and perspectives are thoroughly professional and yet they are slightly rougher, a little less polished and especially candid. We were drawn to the material as soon as we saw it.
We've streamed the pieces online, so check them through the links below and let us know what you think. And tune in tonight at 11 p.m. to experience these pieces on the big screen and watch as Anderson interviews the students about their work.
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Watch a piece on winning hearts and minds -- 6:11)
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Watch a short film on a rock band's tour of military bases -- 9:49)
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Watch a mini-doc about life on a Navy ship -- 10:28)
