“You know, the number one rule of political or watchdog reporting is, ‘follow the money,'” journalist John Adams says in the trailer for “Dark Money.” The reporter, who covers the legislature for the Great Falls Tribune in Montana, does just that when he realizes something sketchy is happening in the state’s elections: campaigns are being funded by anonymous “dark money” groups.
Adams does some digging and discovers that a corporation can channel funds into a dark money group. The dark money group in turn buys ads attacking an election candidate. Once that candidate’s opponent wins, they end up supporting the original corporation’s political agenda. “I don’t know how to fight [the dark money groups],” Adams says. “I can’t pick up a phone and say, ‘Hey, what’s your interest in Candidate X?’ ‘Cause I don’t know who they are.”
And the spot stresses this isn’t just a Montana problem. The Federal Election Commission isn’t upholding campaign finance law and elections are increasingly vulnerable. This is an issue that affects everyone: “Campaign finance is the gateway to every other issue that you might care about,” an interviewee stresses.
Directed by “Prodigal Sons” helmer Kimberly Reed, “Dark Money” screened earlier this year at Sundance. The doc opens in New York July 13, followed by a rollout to other select cities.
