In recent years, Seymour Hersh’s standing as an investigative reporter has weakened due to mistakes he’s made (like trusting Syrian dictator Assad a little too much) and reporting that has remained unconfirmed and not really become part of our mainstream discussions. The fact that he has always relied a lot on anonymous sources has been debated.

Now in his 80s, Hersh is still sharp, active and not very keen at all to participate in this documentary; the film has moments of tension, as with any investigative reporter whose work is questioned.

But it’s a forceful reminder of what an extraordinary career he’s had, with My Lai and Abu Ghraib standing out as examples of the U.S. military at its worst – and why real journalism is essential.

2025-U.S. 118 min. Color-B/W. Directed by Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus.

Trivia: Co-produced by Poitras; co-executive produced by Brad Pitt.

Last word: “[In 2005] I was proposing to make a film that would follow him in real time, so more observational: Sy meeting sources or in editorial meetings at The New Yorker, throwing things at the editors and threatening to quit, which Amy Davidson Sorkin joked he would do on a regular basis. He entertained the idea, but after I left, he called me, and he was like: No way. I can’t risk my sources. You know: My sources are too sensitive, and there’s no way a camera can be around. So it was a hard no, but a very gracious hard no. But we stayed in touch.” (Poitras, Columbia Journalism Review)