Ken Burns: "There is No Them. There's Only Us." | Shane Smith Has Questions

From Shane Smith Has Questions by VICE News & Studio71

June 25, 2026 · 1h 9m · Episode 53

About this episode

Shane Smith interviews Ken Burns about his documentary work and the importance of understanding American history in a divided society.

Ken Burns has spent more than five decades telling America's story. From The Civil War and The Vietnam War to Baseball, Jazz, and The U.S. and the Holocaust, his films have shaped how generations of Americans understand their country. In this conversation, Shane Smith sits down with the legendary filmmaker to talk about much more than documentaries. Together they explore why America feels so divided, whether we're living through another turning point in history, the collapse of shared facts, the changing media landscape, and why Burns believes understanding our past is essential to navigating our future. Burns also reflects on his early films Brooklyn Bridge and The Statue of Liberty, the making of The Civil War and The Vietnam War, the importance of PBS, and why documentary filmmaking still matters in an age of algorithms, clips, and social media. After a lifetime studying America's greatest triumphs and deepest failures, Ken Burns keeps coming back to one simple idea: "There's only us.” Get 20% off your entire purchase for first-time buyers with code SHANE at https://www.mood.com In this episode: • The story behind Brooklyn Bridge and Burns' first documentary • Why The Civil…

People in this episode

Host: Shane Smith

Guest: Ken Burns

Topics covered

documentary filmmaking
American history
media landscape
political polarization
shared reality
cultural phenomena

Keywords

Ken Burns
documentaries
American history
PBS
political polarization
media
shared facts
social media
truth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PBS

Books & works: The Civil War, The Vietnam War, Brooklyn Bridge, The Statue of Liberty