Fans of news podcasts and radio shows most likely know the names “Amy Goodman” or “Democracy Now!” an independent news program which airs Monday through Friday from New York City. To celebrate its thirty years of running, the team came out with a film including some of the most important events that they’ve covered over their time together, and the reality of what it is like to be both an activist and a journalist.
The film started with a slow roll out in select theaters, and though it has already come through and left the Roxy, it is still being aired across the country in small theaters. For anyone interested in the logistics of journalistic reporting and how the team handled it over the years, it is a wonderful film.
Over their time on air, democracy now has made it their mission to highlight the voices of those who are typically unheard, which was a central theme of their film. Amy Goodman’s team are not simply reporting on the news from across the world, but travelling to the frontlines to get accurate stories from those impacted. Over the past thirty years, the democracy now team has been on the frontlines of the East Timor Massacre, Chevron’s exploitation of the resources and people of Nigeria, and just a few blocks away from the impact sight of 9/11. It is clear throughout her film that Goodman cares more about helping the people she is working with than simply getting a good story out of them.
I think that the film did a good job of painting the Democracy Now! crew as a group of journalists and reporters who write for the people, not for profit. I admired Goodman’s dedication to news coverage on all broadcasting companies, and not just her own. I think her attitude towards others seeing her work and also being inspired to cover the same topic is very mature. Goodman is aware of the fact that she does not own the stories of the people she chooses to cover, and encourages other companies to “Steal This Story, Please” inspiring the title of the film.
The film also showcases the team not being afraid to sugarcoat controversial topics, even if it were to lose them support. Democracy Now! was quick to cover the events of the Israeli and Palestine war in 2023. While most news sources were focused solely on speaking to Israeli hostages, Democracy Now! covered both sides, speaking to innocent civilians of Palestine as well, and showing the world what their living conditions were like as a result of the war.
The Israel and Palestine war was brought up several times throughout the film. Goodman used history to show how being raised as a Jewish American helped her empathize even more with Palestinian civilians. The Democracy Now! team covered a Jews for Palestine protest in New York, showing unity between the two groups at a time where most of the media was pushing division. The team’s focus was never whether or not they would lose listeners, but more so how they would elevate the voices of each community.
Overall, The film shows that you can be a journalist and an activist simultaneously, without it affecting the accuracy of your reporting. So many people are quick to assume that caring about an issue means that you are too biased to report on it, but “Steal This Story, Please” shows that you can have both humanity, and accuracy.
