Bearing Witness: A Name & A Voice

Bearing Witness: A Name & A Voice delves into the backstories and convictions of four extraordinary newspaper reporters. Their distinct personal narratives explain the profound motivations that fuel their work, as well as the indelible stories that continue to resonate within them – revealing the who behind the who-what-when-where & why. The film challenges audiences to transcend the monolithic term “The Media” and instead see clearly individuals who propel it forward.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES:

This film took years to craft, create, and bring into the world, and even longer if you count the decades as a journalist from which I drew both inspiration and motivation. I’m most proud that this film is saying exactly what needs to be heard right now in this moment of societal, institutional and democratic fracturing.

Telling the truth is almost a political act these days, and journalists are under literal attack, but we need truth-tellers, investigators, and watchdogs – we need witnesses – now more than ever. My hope is that after watching this film, audiences question the monolithic term “The Media,” and instead simply see people. Inspiring, incredible people.

On a process note, this is a documentary wrapped in a narrative construct. We were able to do this because we captured the interviews 6 weeks ahead of principal photography, which allowed us to comprehensively edit the story, storyboard and shot-list the visuals, and shoot our documentary like a narrative. We then edited the film, and returned months later to add a powerful coda by returning to the printing presses in the middle of the night and following the paper as it hit metro Boston at dawn.

Winner: New England Emmy - Outstanding Documentary - Societal Concerns - 2025