Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
1.5.2
Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
1.5.2
1.5.2
Cover Up documentary film produced and directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus
Cover Up is the kind of journalism documentary that plays like a character study and a warning flare at the same time: it follows the career of legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh—the guy whose scoops helped expose atrocities and lies from My Lai to Abu Ghraib—and uses his decades-long fight with power as a lens on what it costs to keep digging when governments would rather you didn’t. The film doesn’t turn Hersh into a saint; it leans into his sharp edges, his stubbornness, and the messy, human mechanics of how major accountability reporting actually happens. It’s bracing, sometimes darkly funny, and weirdly energizing in an era when “cover-up” feels less like a plot point and more like a daily headline. Currently, in theater, streaming on Netflix Dec. 26. – PL
Citizenfour (2014) documentary film directed by Laura Poitras
Citizenfour is part newsroom thriller, part history-in-the-making. Director Laura Poitras drops viewers into the Hong Kong hotel room where Edward Snowden first meets journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, and the film’s power comes from how ordinary the setting feels next to the scale of what’s being revealed: a global surveillance apparatus hiding in plain sight. There’s no heavy-handed narration, just the tight, tense choreography of phones being bagged, laptops being encrypted, and big decisions getting made in real time. Even if you think you already know the story, Citizenfour hits differently now—as a portrait of how information moves, how institutions protect themselves, and how quickly the line between “security” and public surveillance can blur. – PL
Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People
Joseph Pulitzer was a Jewish Hungarian immigrant who transformed American journalism and helped define the role of a free press in a democratic society. He lands on the shores of United States with little more than ambition and becomes a pioneering newspaper publisher, who’s innovations include investigative reporting, crusading editorials and a talent for mass-appeal storytelling and muckraking. You might know him from the Pulitzer Prize, still being awarded annually, but there’s much more to this visionary whose impact on the news continues to this day. -PL
The New Yorker at 100 Directed by Marshall Curry
As The New Yorker marks its centennial, The New Yorker at 100 offers a rich, immersive look at one of America’s most influential magazines. The film traces the magazine’s evolution from its early satirical essays and cartoons to its enduring legacy in longform reporting, cultural criticism, and narrative journalism. Featuring interviews with current and former editors, writers, and cultural commentators, the program highlights defining moments in New Yorker history—legendary profiles, groundbreaking investigative work, and the editorial philosophy that prioritized depth over immediacy. More than a retrospective, The New Yorker at 100 invites viewers to consider the magazine’s role in shaping public discourse and the craft of journalism itself. It’s essential viewing for anyone fascinated by how storytelling and reporting intersect in a rapidly changing media landscape. – PL
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