Stop any random person on the street, and I’d wager they’d agree — no matter their spot on the political spectrum — that America needs a lot more independent journalism. It’s easy to see that the consolidation of media ownership by a handful of corporate conglomerates since 1996, when the Telecommunications Act deregulated the industry, has not been good for the press.
But I often wonder how many Americans know what the phrase “independent news media” actually means, let alone how much gumption, drive and tolerance for risk-taking is required to work in independent news media. The new documentary “Steal This Story, Please!” (in theaters) is ostensibly a profile of one such reporter: Amy Goodman, the investigative journalist who hosts the progressive news program “Democracy Now!” Yet the directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal widen the film’s frame, making an impassioned argument for opinionated journalism that operates outside corporate media structures.
Goodman’s life story provides the backbone for the film, stretching back to her family’s history fleeing pogroms and persecution in Eastern Europe. Her family is where, she says, she first learned to always ask tough questions and stand on her principles. Through interviews with Goodman and her collaborators, “Steal This Story, Please!” recounts events she has covered, including the 1991 East Timor massacre, Sept. 11, the 2016 oil pipeline protests in North Dakota and many more.
The film tracks the development of “Democracy Now!” as a news show — first on radio, then TV and the internet — and also explores how the American news media became centralized and controlled by a few large companies, and what the results of that have been.
Goodman’s career is fascinating on its own merits, and the film is full of footage of her doggedly chasing down politicians and sources who clearly would prefer to control their own story. But more important, the movie gradually explores the fundamentals of journalism that she believes in and passes on to colleagues — for instance, as one collaborator puts it, “Speak to the people at the target end of the bomb.” In other words, look for the story that challenges the official narrative, and tell that one.
Early in the film, Goodman says that she is both an activist and a journalist, and she believes she can be both. That isn’t the position of every independent news outlet. But it’s true that perspective colors the story reporters see, and thus tell; being aware of that doesn’t mean you’re not still seeking to unearth the truth, and that’s how Goodman views it. “Steal This Story, Please!” makes a strong case that a plurality of independent outlets and more journalists, not fewer, are vital to a healthy democracy — and that without a revitalization of the independent press, we may lose the ability to discern the truth altogether.
Alissa Wilkinson is a Times movie critic. She’s been writing about movies since 2005.
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