All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone (2016), Drum (2004), Nothing but the Truth (2008), Citizenfour (2014), Burma VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country (2008), Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press (1996), The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009), Control Room (2004) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Press Freedom movies.
Storyline: Giant media conglomerates are increasingly reluctant to investigate or criticize government policies, particularly on defense, security and intelligence issues. They are ceding responsibility for holding governments and corporations accountable to the independent journalists and filmmakers who risk their careers, their freedom and their lives in war zones to expose the truth. With government deception rampant, independent voices are crucially important.
Plot Keywords: documentary, press freedom, investigative journalism, government corruption, democracy, social justice, historical truth ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In 1950s Johannesburg, black South African reporter Henry Nxumalo (Taye Diggs) uncovers an explosive story.
Plot Keywords: music, biography, race, south africa, apartheid, journalist, true story ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: When reporter Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. She defies the special prosecutor (Matt Dillon) and is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside (Alan Alda) argues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Plot Keywords: drama, thriller, political, journalist, legal, investigation, national security ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In January 2013, Laura Poitras started receiving anonymous encrypted e-mails from "CITIZENFOUR," who claimed to have evidence of illegal covert surveillance programs run by the NSA in collaboration with other intelligence agencies worldwide. Five months later, she and reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with the man who turned out to be Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her. The resulting film is history unfolding before our eyes.—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: documentary, whistleblower, cybersecurity, journalist, exposé, academy award, politics ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Thousands of citizens of Myanmar take to the streets in several cities to protest the Asian nation's repressive regime. The protests take on a new degree of seriousness when dozens of monks launch their own marches down city streets. This documentary from Anders Ostergaard focuses on the work of videographers and citizen journalists who defy the government's crackdown on the media -- a brave bunch who manage to transmit footage of the uprising to the outside world.
Plot Keywords: documentary, journalist, protest, human rights, press freedom, political, revolution ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: The profile of controversial journalist George Seldes and a piercing examination of America's news media. Narrated by Susan Sarandon, with readings of writings by Ed Asner, this Academy Award-nominated film includes stunning archival materials.—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: documentary, press freedom, historical documentary, investigative reporting, censorship, journalistic ethics, free speech ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: "The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an "Imperial" Presidency-answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people-in order to help end the Vietnam War. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg shook America to its foundations when he smuggled a top-secret Pentagon study to the New York Times that showed how five Presidents consistently lied to the American people about the Vietnam War that was killing millions and tearing America apart. President Nixon's National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger called Ellsberg "the most dangerous man in America," who "had to be stopped at all costs." But Ellsberg wasn't stopped. Facing 115 years in prison on espionage and conspiracy charges, he fought back. Ensuing events surrounding the so-called Pentagon Papers led directly to Watergate and the downfall of President Nixon, and hastened the end of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg's relentless telling of truth to power, which exposed the secret deeds of an "Imperial Presidency," inspired Americans of all walks of life to forever question the previously-unchallenged pronouncements of its leaders. "The Most Dangerous Man in America" tells the inside story, for the first time on film, of this pivotal event that changed history and transformed our nation's political discourse. It is told largely by the players of that dramatic episode-Ellsberg, his colleagues, family and critics; Pentagon Papers authors and government officials; Vietnam veterans and anti-war activists; Watergate principals, attorneys and the journalists who both covered the story and were an integral part of it; and finally-through White House audiotapes-President Nixon and his inner circle of advisors.—Anonymous
Plot Keywords: documentary, history, politics, america, vietnam war, press freedom, whistleblower ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.—Sujit R. Varma
Plot Keywords: documentary, journalism, war, media, iraq war, propaganda, truth ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A morality tale for the 21st century, Official Secrets tells the true story of British Intelligence whistle-blower Katharine Gun who, during the immediate run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, leaked a top secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war. At great personal and professional risk, journalist Martin Bright published the leaked document in The Observer newspaper in London, and the story made headlines around the world. Members of the Security Council were outraged and any chance of a UN resolution in favour of war collapsed. But within days, Bush declared he no longer needed UN backing and invaded anyway. As Iraq descended into chaos, Katharine was arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. Martin faced potential charges too. Their legal battles exposed the highest levels of government in both London and Washington with having manipulated intelligence in order to sell an illegal war.
Plot Keywords: political thriller, true story, whistleblower, national security, iraq war, press freedom, government conspiracy ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: John Cassellis is the toughest TV-news reporter around. His area of interest is reporting about violence in the ghetto and racial tensions. But he discovers that his network helps the FBI by letting it look at his tapes to find suspects. When he protests, he is fired and goes to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.—Mattias Thuresson
Plot Keywords: political thriller, journalism, 1960s, chicago, social unrest, documentary style, real events ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Larry Flynt is the hedonistically obnoxious, but indomitable, publisher of Hustler magazine. The film recounts his struggle to make an honest living publishing his porn magazine and how it changes into a battle to protect the freedom of speech for all people.
Plot Keywords: biography, drama, usa, courtroom, media, controversy, true story ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Madhavi is a newspaper journalist in Mumbai whose task is to fill the Page 3 column. Her job consists of attending parties among the socialite and small-time celebrity circle and reporting on it. Her roommates are Pearl, an air-hostess who wants to marry a rich man and settle down to a life of comfort; and Gayatri, a struggling actress. Gayatri is seduced by a leading married actor Rohit Kumar. When she finds out that she is pregnant, he advises her to abort the baby. Dejected, Gayatri tries to commit suicide but Madhavi and Pearl save her. She loses the baby and leaves Mumbai. Madhavi's job of interacting with shallow high-society people is depressing her. She wants to do some substantial reporting for a change, so she is assigned to the Crime beat alongwith veteran reporter Vinayak Mane.—Soumitra
Plot Keywords: journalism, corruption, power, media, scandal, investigation, social critique ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Ed Hutcheson, tough editor of the New York 'Day', finds that the late owner's heirs are selling the crusading paper to a strictly commercial rival. At first he sees impending unemployment as an opportunity to win back his estranged wife Nora. But when a reporter, pursuing a lead on racketeer Rienzi, is badly beaten, Hutcheson is stung into a full fledged crusade against the gangster, hoping Rienzi can be tied to a woman's murder...in the 3 issues before the end of 'The Day.'—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords: film noir, journalism, crime, murder, investigation, corruption, moral dilemma ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: When American military analyst, Daniel Ellsberg, realizes to his disgust the depths of the US government's deceptions about the futility of the Vietnam War, he takes action by copying top-secret documents that would become the Pentagon Papers. Later, Washington Post owner, Kay Graham, is still adjusting to taking over her late husband's business when editor Ben Bradlee discovers the New York Times has scooped them with an explosive expose on those papers. Determined to compete, Post reporters find Ellsberg himself and a complete copy of those papers. However, the Post's plans to publish their findings are put in jeopardy with a Federal restraining order that could get them all indicted for Contempt. Now, Kay Graham must decide whether to back down for the safety of her paper or publish and fight for the Freedom of the Press. In doing so, Graham and her staff join a fight that would have America's democratic ideals in the balance.
Plot Keywords: history, politics, journalism, press freedom, investigative journalism, 1970s, tom hanks ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Thinking Pulitzer Prize and hoping to bring down a President, D.C. political columnist Rachel Armstrong writes that the President ignored the findings of a covert CIA operative when ordering air strikes against Venezuela. Rachel names the agent, Erica Van Doren, a woman whose young daughter is in Rachel's son's class at school. The government moves quickly to force Rachel to name her source. She's jailed for contempt when she refuses. She won't change her mind, and the days add up. Chaos descends on Van Doren's life as well. First Amendment versus national security, marriage and motherhood versus separation. What's the value of a principle?
Plot Keywords: drama, thriller, journalist, legal, investigation, government, truth ...
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