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DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE: The Global Struggle for an Independent Press follows teams of journalists into some of the most dangerous and secretive corners of the world to show how they obtain their stories in the face of suppression, lies, imprisonment and threat of physical harm. To highlight the central role a free press plays in building and preserving democracy, Producer/Director Cal Skaggs and his team combed through two hundred hours of footage to create this dynamic portrayal of independent-minded journalists.

At their best, courageous journalists share a common mission worldwide: bearing witness to the truth as they see it in order to serve their fellow citizens, providing them accurate information, acting as their watchdog over those who hold power and speaking out in behalf of those who have none. Journalists inform; they warn; they analyze and interpret, all to help the public make sense of the world.

From Africa to Latin America, from the Middle East to Russia to the mainstream media in the United States, DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE looks at how members of the news media fulfill their common mission.

Throughout, the film provides vivid reminders of how valuable serious journalism is, and how vigilantly it must be practiced to ensure the health of democracy. American viewers who see how valiantly journalists elsewhere must work to tell the truth may hold their own press corps responsible for a greater degree of truth-telling. Viewers get a comparative look at the state of the press around the world, and see that the walls of secrecy that stand in the way of press freedom can be toppled. DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE sheds light on the pivotal role journalists must play around the globe.

Read about filmmaker Cal Skaggs's motivation for making this film >>

Learn about how technology has changed journalism >>

Find resources to further explore the state of independent media >>

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Independent Lens . DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE . The Film | PBS