There has been a dramatic rise in independent media as trust in traditional mainstream sources has dwindled with the American public. Amid the rise of misinformation and the influence of corporate mergers on coverage, independent media have never felt more anti-establishment and rogue in reaching an audience yearning for journalistic integrity. Amy Goodman was practicing independent journalism decades before it reached modernity with Democracy Now!, a non-profit news program supported entirely by small-dollar donors operating without corporate sponsorships or government funding. Goodman is the subject of directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin‘s new documentary, Steal This Story, Please!, which chronicles the rise and ethos of Goodman’s journalism career.
Long before Goodman was on the airwaves covering the 1996 presidential election, the film tracks her life growing up with progressive parents, especially her father, George Goodman, and his work facilitating school integration on Long Island during the 1960s. Her glimpse into what true social justice looked like birthed the notion of giving a voice to marginalized people who don’t have a loud voice in the media. It’s a loving gesture that imbues Amy’s deep desire to ruffle the feathers of those in charge, not because it’s punk-rock or in vogue, but because no one else will.
This led to Goodman becoming the news director of WBAI in 1984, a New York listener-supported radio program. The film provides plenty of archival footage in showing the run-down, fun chaos of a ragtag team of up-and-coming figures, like Jeremy Scahill, joining Goodman in covering stories ignored by major news outlets. The film encapsulates that early thirst and desire for hard-hitting news from off-the-radar outlets. When she and colleague Allan Narin witnessed and documented the massacre (and their own physical assault) of peaceful protests at the hands of Indonesian soldiers during the 1991 East Timor Santa Cruz Massacre, Goodman sparked a turning point that led to a change in how the US supplied weapons to the Indonesian military. Steal This Story, Please! illustrates this critical moment by focusing on Goodman’s clashes with US government officials during press conferences and interviews, as she rightly questions the US government’s complicity in these global conflicts.
This aftermath brought Goodman notoriety and attention, as she uncovers more alarming stories of American interests and corporations damaging marginalized communities, such as Chevron’s oil contamination of the Amazon. In 1996, her program spun off from the WBAI network into Democracy Now!, which coincidentally marked the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which deregulated the telecommunications industry and allowed corporate entities to consolidate local radio and television news programs. The brisk editing by Mona Davis does an excellent job of conveying the storied history of Goodman and her rise to prominence with the start of Democracy Now!.
The film harnesses Goodman’s spirited-fighter energy, as she is shown to be so mild-mannered, calm, and demure-looking, yet brings out her precise focus and cutthroat questioning to get answers that address these crises. One segment includes an extended phone conversation with President Clinton during the 2000 Presidential election, and an extended on-air interview, in which Clinton is pressed regarding his skewed position on Israel and Palestine and the ramifications of his NAFTA policy. It’s an intense moment, and one that shows how non-partisan Goodman presents herself. The filmmakers don’t hesitate to illustrate her social activism and anti-corporate stance against monied interests that are destroying America, yet there’s a nice balance of Goodman’s principles shining through the partisan lens. No one side is better than the other.
The film loses its sustained momentum as it transitions into the late 2000s and the later rise of Trumpism. It feels like an expedited rush to tackle these immense issues plaguing modern America, yet the film feels it has to address them rather than them being organically pertinent. One instance where this feels related to Goodman’s style of reporting involves the stark independence and unrelenting nature of Goodman and her colleagues’ guerrilla journalism, which is given heavy emphasis, including an intense interaction with police forces during the 2008 RNC convention, where she and fellow journalists are arrested.
Yet, even within the structure of a tight 98 minutes, Steal This Story, Please! tries to give breathing room when it comes to the ongoing war of Israel’s attacks in Gaza. Goodman identifies as Jewish, yet has remained one of the few major outlets reporting on the massive death toll of Gaza civilians. Several behind-the-scenes efforts show her before her show airs, as she is startled by the updated death toll numbers. The mainstream media’s neglect of this aspect only reinforces Goodman’s commitment to Democracy Now!’s thesis.
The film contrasts her career by sweeping, changing the media landscape that has glossed over significant global news stories, to which Goodman takes it upon herself to spotlight. For the uninformed, the documentary acts as a compelling bridge to Goodman’s unique and authentic voice and how mainstream media has deflected its responsibility in news coverage.
The title, Steal This Story, Please!, acts as a plea for outlets to grow out of their complacency about their corporate ownership and tackle the stories Goodman covers. It’s also an invitation for anyone else in the media to plunge into the murky, complicated affairs America finds itself in, where truth and distortion feel synonymous.
There’s a level of humility the filmmakers give to Amy Goodman, where she’s not placed on a pedestal. One of the most endearing images is of Goodman casually walking in downtown New York with her lovable dog, Zazu, which imbues a sense of grounded optimism. For the expansive career Goodman has led, as soon as the cameras are turned on for Democracy Now!, she levels her gaze at the audience to speak directly to them, not at them. For Goodman, it’s not about giving a lecture, but informing a hungry audience without the theatrics and mania many opinionated news programs bolster.
Review Courtesy of Amritpal Rai