April 12, 2026
At a time when many Americans feel despair and hopelessness amid an avalanche of one awful news cycle after another, Steal This Story, Please! offers a welcome respite. It’s a newly released documentary on the work of legendary journalist Amy Goodman, the person behind Democracy Now! media. But more than a straightforward biopic of a personality, the film centers Goodman’s approach to journalism and injustice. At times appearing to be an almost Zelig-like presence at every major news story this century, Goodman has covered everything from DC to the Dakotas to the Niger Delta to East Timor to Baghdad and Gaza.
Her work has been unstoppable, despite frequent attempts by police and soldiers to shut her down. What’s incredible about this movie is that so much of her work as a journalist was documented along the way and that the filmmakers, Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, were able to get hold of it. What they’ve created is a tribute not only to Goodman, but to independent Journalism, to the never ending struggle for Justice, and to the power of film to communicate and inspire. By widening the frame of what’s covered as news, Goodman has given voice to people who have been regularly overlooked or deliberately excluded from other news coverage.
The movie is currently screening at IFC downtown ahead of a West Coast release next week and at more theaters everywhere after that. At Sunday night’s screening Goodman, Deal and Lessin introduced the film and said that viewing it in theaters with other people is a revolutionary act of community. Deal said that working on the project has helped him get through these difficult times. Five stars.
