Blog #14
Nothing But the Truth
 You've
probably noticed that I occasionally recommend renting
a particular feature film when I feel that it can say
things better (not to mention much more dramatically) than
an Internet module discussion.
Some examples are at the end of
the first chapter on newsgathering.
Nothing But the Truth, is a dramatic
and highly engaging film
loosely based on a recent event. It stars Kate Beckinsale, Matt
Dillon, and David Schwinner, among others.
Because of distribution problems
this highly rated film was not released to theaters
and is only available on DVD.
Although the film version is not
political, according to Wikipedia,
"Nothing but the Truth
parallels the case of Valerie Plame, whose status as
a CIA agent was exposed in the media after her
husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, wrote a New York
Times op-ed piece charging the Bush
administration with manipulating intelligence to
justify the invasion of Iraq."
*
Unless
they intend to limit themselves to innocuous things such as celebrity gossip, news
 people
need to understand the personal responsibility that can fall on them in
protecting the identity of confidential sources.
Alan Alda's presentation as a lawyer before the U.S.
Supreme Court is reason enough to rent this film.
The film has some few four-letter
words at one point and a rather tame sex scene between a husband and wife.
The content of the film provides background information
for informed classroom debate on shield laws.
This
is an engrossing film should
be required viewing for people aspiring to
serious news reporting.
-Ron Whittaker
"the movie is a vivid reminder of one of the most egregious abuses of power in
history..." ( New York Times) * The
NYT article was later shown to be accurate. However, because of
subsequent attacks by some in the Bush Administration, Ms. Plame had to
leave the CIA and her husband was almost professionally ruined -- plus heir marriage
was virtually destroyed.
Since it can put the lives of operatives at risk, outing a CIA agent has
always been a grave offense. In this case the politics behind
squelching opposition to the Iraq War was seen as more important and no
officials were jailed. (See
Fair Game, Foul Game.)
Fair Game, a film based largely on Ms. Plame's 2007
autobiography of the same name (starring Naomi Watts as Valerie and Sean
Penn as her husband, Joe), opened in the Fall of 2010. DVDs were to be available
in early 2011.
Her autobiography, Fair Game, on which the film is
based, was published with sections of the original manuscript deleted. This followed a long battle
with the CIA, which would not allow details in her story to
come to light.
To Blog Index © 2000-2010, All Rights Reserved
|