“As journalists, we can’t let the truth down. We are moderators of fact,” we’re told in a new trailer for “Endangered.” From directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, the HBO documentary follows four journalists fighting for freedom of the press. Their “safety and professions are under threat as they cover political rallies, police brutality, BLM protests, and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, while confronting slander, hostility, and violence from their own governments,” per the film’s synopsis.
“Endangered” examines the toll that online misinformation and distrust of traditional media has taken in Mexico City, São Paulo, Brazil, and the United States. “This is happening widespread,” we’re warned. “The rules are changing.”
“It’s so difficult to know if this is the end of an era or the beginning of something even more sinister,” one interviewee observes.
“Many of us living in democratic nations take freedom of the press for granted. In the course of making this film, though, we realized that in order to survive, this ‘right’ has to be fought for in perpetuity,” said Grady and Ewing in a statement. “As governments and the public become increasingly hostile to ‘The Media,’ it was a privilege to observe a few of the unassuming beat reporters who hit the streets every day to bring us the facts.”
Grady and Ewing received an Oscar nomination for “Jesus Camp.” Their other credits include “Love Fraud,” “One of Us,” and “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
“Endangered” is making its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival June 12 and debuts on HBO June 28.
