At the touch of a button, just about anyone can access ‘real-time’ news from just about anywhere in the world. Whatever medium you use to consume media, whether it’s TV, newspapers, radio or online, today’s big stories are often tomorrow’s forgotten headlines. The rise of social media means we’re all ‘journalists’ now, instantaneously ‘reporting’ on anything newsworthy as and when it happens. Modern journalism is almost indistinguishable from where it was two decades ago.
This rapid news cycle has posed a huge problem for investigative journalism. Not only is there the need for daily, often hourly, content, but months or years of research can easily be rendered useless. This just makes it even more important than ever. Two years after the Panama Papers revelations, the team at Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s largest paper, are investigating the murder of a Maltese journalist and a mysterious Iranian arms dealer. In the course of their enquiries, they uncover a scandal which has the potential to topple a European government. Their story is told in Behind the Headlines.
Behind the Headlines is a dense and fascinating documentary about the power of investigative journalism. Now, more than ever, it’s vital that there’s someone there holding those in power to account for their actions. Daniel Sager’s film is intense in its focus and requires dedication from the viewer. This will be rewarded with a fascinating insight into just how much work, effort and risk goes into breaking a big story. Behind the Headlines champions those who dare to hold truth to power.
Behind the Headlines screens at CPH:DOX.
