Steal This Story, Please!

In an age where discovering the truth about what’s unfolding in the world has practically become a full-time job, finding sources of reliable, credible information is a challenging undertaking, to say the least. Given the increase in media ownership consolidation, the growth in reporting driven by corporate, government and political agendas, and deliberate, willful efforts aimed at ignoring controversial and disconcerting stories, mainstream news outlets have become little more than mouthpieces for promoting official party lines. And, as a result, the kinds of reporting that the public should be getting has become steadily and systematically marginalized. That’s why it’s so crucial that we still have journalists out there who are committed to exposing the truth, as perhaps best evidenced by the work of investigative reporter Amy Goodman, host of the independent news broadcast Democracy Now! Inspired by the legendary audacious programming of talk show host Phil Donahue, the dogged, determined host of this hour-long daily independent broadcast aired on television, radio and the internet is fearless when it comes to asking the tough questions (a tactic that, regrettably, often gets journalists sidelined) and pursuing the stories that virtually no one else is covering. In that vein, Goodman is one who never backs down, even if it means venturing into volatile hotspots, facing the prospect of arrest (or worse), or being routinely ridiculed or ignored for the relentless earnestness of her efforts. Through the years, though, she has courageously stormed the castle in reporting on such stories as the heinous 1991 East Timor massacre by US-trained Indonesian troops; a 1998 organized campaign of violence and intimidation by foreign oil companies against Nigerian locals in the takeover of their native land; the suspect official reporting on the environmental toxicity from the 9/11 attacks in New York; the fabricated justification for the US War on Iraq; the suppression, arrests and beatings of reporters at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN; and the ongoing obfuscation of the truth on multiple fronts by the two Trump Administrations. Many of these stories have been ignored or significantly downplayed by the mainstream media, though those outlets are often quick to pick up footage and reporting by the Democracy Now! team when it suits their needs, a practice that Goodman actually encourages as a means to get the word out, even going so far as to adopt the official catchphrase for her broadcast that also serves as the title of this film. It’s also noteworthy how all this has been accomplished without any government or commercial funding, its financial footing sustained entirely by individual contributors and foundation donations. In addition to detailing Goodman’s storied career, this documentary from directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin also offers a profile of the protagonist’s off-camera life, including her upbringing in a Long Island Jewish household firmly committed to the principles of justice, advocacy and the truth, illustrating the roots from which her noble calling arose. The film further documents Goodman’s efforts at developing and mentoring a dedicated team of colleagues, including show co-hosts Juan González and Nermeen Shaikh and reporters Jeremy Scahill and Sharif Abdel Koudduous. All of this is skillfully told through an impressive collection of archive footage and recent interviews, taking viewers inside the broadcast and the incidents that became an integral part of her work. In doing so, “Steal This Story, Please!” shows how Goodman is one journalist who still manages to walk her talk at a time when that practice has virtually vanished in the mass media. Indeed, that’s perhaps the point of this film that I admire most – it’s willingness to unflinchingly outline how mainstream news outlets have declined and why the efforts of journalists like Goodman have become so vital. As a trained and onetime-practicing journalist myself, I have been saddened to see what has happened to the vocation that I chose for what I thought would end up being my life’s work. And it’s because of that that I have chosen today, May 1 – May Day – as the publication date for this critique, all in the hope that the timely calendar reference will help to reinforce the urgency of the message behind this film, the work of its protagonist and what it means for us as a society.