TV Icon Norman Lear & More Set for Tonight's MetroFocus on THIRTEEN

The award-winning series MetroFocus premieres new episodes in the New York and tri-state region weeknights at 5 p.m. on WLIW21, 5:30 p.m. on NJTV and 6 p.m. on THIRTEEN. All episodes are available at metrofocus.org following the broadcast.

The episodes description for tonight, Thursday, July 14 follow below. Please note episode descriptions are subject to change. Please visit metrofocus.org for the latest information.

Thursday, July 14 at 5:00 p.m. on WLIW21, 5:30 p.m. on NJTV and 6:00 p.m. on THIRTEEN
Right to Record Cops? - In the age of iPhones and constant contact with the internet, technology has made it easier for people to record interactions with police. In fact, there is a decades-old consent decree preserving the right to do just that. But now, a New York City man named Ruben An is in the midst of a legal battle after he recorded a conversation between three officers and a man on the sidewalk in July 2014. An was held in jail for 15 hours and charged with obstructing governmental administration, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. A year later, the case went to trial and the jury found An not guilty on all counts. Now, An is filing a lawsuit to affirm that he was in the right the day he was arrested, and that the arrest violated his constitutional rights, on top of issuing a permanent injunction that would bar the NYPD from interfering with or retaliating against citizen videographers. Tonight, Ruben An's attorneys on this case, Joshua Carrin and Cynthia Conti-Cook join us to discuss this unique case.

Food Wasted While People Go Hungry - Food waste is perhaps one of the biggest problems in the world that people are not talking about. You may not realize it, but statistics show the average American throws away over 20 pounds of food each month. With about 15 million children living in food insecure households nationwide, new programs are now being adopted in communities across the country to make sure leftovers end up on dinner plates - and not in landfills. New York City is no exception. As part of our ongoing reporting initiative, "Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America," we're taking a look at this problem with help from The Huffington Post, which recently launched a campaign called "Reclaim" to cut down on food waste.

Norman Lear: T.V. Icon - Meet the man who raised a generation and redefined comedy television in the 70's. Norman Lear is best known for his hit shows like All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Sanford and Son; titles that laid the groundwork for a new era in sitcoms and created a format that would be reused for countless other shows. Lear is now the subject of the newest AMERICAN MASTERS installment, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, and he takes some time out to sit down with us and discuss the documentary.

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