Such work is widely recognized as having an important role to play in a democracy. For instance, FRONTLINE challenges the pharmaceutical industry in Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria in Hot Coffee, director Susan Saladoff questions the frivolity of lawsuits and big business’ call for tort reform and Suzan Beraza explores how plastic bags became so ubiquitous in Bag It.
Graduate fellows Daniela Pérez Frías and Daniel Farber-Ball contributed to production.ĭocumentary makers often produce work that challenges the terms of the status quo, whether through investigative reporting, revealing an underrepresented viewpoint, or signaling an overlooked trend. Consultant Deborah Goldman contributed legal research. Graduate fellows Stephanie Brown and Olga Khrustaleva assisted with research. Patricia Aufderheide was principal investigator, and Center for Media & Social Impact Associate Director Angelica Das was project manager. It finally suggests next steps to expand opportunities and share existing knowledge about how to lower risks while telling truth to power.Ĭenter for Media & Social Impact, School of Communication, American Universityįunded by the John D. It then addresses how makers of such work may best mitigate known risks, and what kinds of support may help them more than they are today. It documents attitudes, practices, and problems. This report finds that the risks of doing such work are well-established in the investigative journalism community, but not always well known in the documentary film community. How are independent makers, often working outside of media institutions for long periods of time, and sometimes untrained in journalistic practices, working with this reality? What are the risks, and can they be mitigated to encourage more and better expression on the important issues of the day? Non-fiction filmmakers who tell truth to power often face aggressive attack from powerful individuals, governmental bodies, businesses and associations. Many of the issues most important for our society to recognize and discuss are also those that powerful people or institutions don’t want made public.
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