MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 17, 2026: STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE
Name any major U.S. news story that’s dominated the headlines since the late 1980s/early 1990s, and chances are Amy Goodman was on the front lines with a microphone and a camera, reporting the hell out of it. The founder of progressive journalism institution Democracy Now!, Goodman is tireless and fearless in her pursuit of the unvarnished truth, as documented in Tia Lessin and Carl Deal’s timely documentary Steal This Story, Please!
Mixing footage of Goodman on the job with vintage/historical material, interviews, and reminisces, Lessin and Deal tell the story of Goodman’s life and eventual career. The latter seemed destined from a pretty young age, given that she came from a family of idealistic, community-oriented activists who published their own newspaper (complete with editorial feedback). After graduating from Harvard in 1984, Goodman soon found her way to the investigative reporting life, landing at New York City radio station WBAI for more than a decade before she founded Democracy Now! — initially a radio show and eventually a video broadcast as well — in 1996.
Goodman’s work has taken her all over the world, from Indonesia in 1991, where she witnessed a mass killing of demonstrators and was beaten by soldiers, to Nigeria in 1998, where she exposed the Chevron Corporation’s role in supporting deadly actions by the local military through the devious tactic of…asking a question. Her persistence in asking questions, especially the ones her subjects don’t want asked, is a hallmark of Goodman’s reporting style. She is dogged and relentless, pursuing officials who’d clearly rather avoid her and refusing to back down or be intimidated, no matter who she’s talking to (take her infamously confrontational interview of then-President Bill Clinton in 2000, for example).
Goodman’s stye may not win her many fans in the corner (or Oval) offices of the world, but it has drawn like-minded journalists to her throughout her career (her colleagues are, to a person, fiercely loyal) and earned her many professional awards and recognitions. And her devotion to her calling is a powerful example of what journalism can and should be when it’s not worried about ratings or beholden to vast media corporations. In Goodman’s hands, journalism is, above all, about speaking truth to power — no matter who that power is — and speaking up for those who can’t speak for themselves. Steal This Story, Please! makes it abundantly clear that, while a reporter like Goodman is rare enough to warrant a film about her, the world would be a far better place if she were just one of many. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Nell Minow: As we recognize the 50th anniversary of “All the President’s Men, the journalisticntegrity and dedication it exemplified seems as distant as the typewriters and pay phones. Steal This Story, Please! is a poignant reminder that there are still some reporters who act, in the words of Finley Peter Dunne (often incorrectly attributed to others), “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Amy Goodman does all of that and more, insisting on asking tough, uncomfortable questions of the powerful and never giving up. What makes her close to unique in journalism, though, is always putting the ordinary people in the center of the story. This touching and illuminating and even sometimes hopeful documentary shows us her history, going back to her brother’s childhood family newspaper (as in, a newspaper about the family, including a great letter to the editor from his rabbi grandfather), and the values that ground her sense of the world.
Leslie Combemale I have listened to Democracy Now! since the day it started in 1996. Now that corporate media, aka the MSM, has been usurped by big business and government interests, the general public is waking up to the need for purely independent media outlets. Amy Goodman and her colleagues at Democracy Now! have been at the forefront of covering subjects ignored or avoided by the moneyed media driven by right wing and Christian conservative special interest since day one. She has, since then, literally shifted history. Carl Deal and Tia Lessin’s doc celebrates her and her work. Today’s news included an inexplicable First Lady presser, fabricated stories about Iran, and our president posting an explicit murder video. It’s like an alternate reality that Amy saw coming a mile away. Her moral compass, curiosity, and tenacity as a journalist are needed more than ever as inspiration to anyone driven by compassion or looking for a reason for optimism. Read full review.
Jennifer Merin When seeking truth in news media is a dubious pursuit, credible journalists are to be highly praised and closely listened to. Filmmakers Tia Lessen and Carl Deal’s documentary, Steal This Story, Please!, draws our attention to prima journalist Amy Goodman who has throughout her career tirelessly challenged misrepresentations and half truths reported in mainstream news media, fighting corporate bias and/or the failure to fully investigate and accurately report events. With grit and unyielding dedication, Goodman has risked arrest and death to report factually and fully from politically motivated demonstrations, rampant riots and active war zones.She unfailingly reveals accurate representations of the situation and its impact on the humans wh are caught up in it. Throughly researched and well edited, Steal This Story, Please! delves into Goodman’s background and chronicles her career as she carries on despite threats and challenges from those who wish to shut her up. Her determination is impressive and her story is gripping. She more than deserves this tribute. Her pursuits and commitment to journalistic integrity must be known to the truth-hungry public, especially at this challenging time in human history.
Loren King It’s fitting that a film about about independent journalist Amy Goodman, founder and host of the TV and radio news program Democracy Now!, would be this timely and revelatory. Steal This Story, Please! chronicles Goodman’s life and career and the many groundbreaking stories she’s reported on for Democracy Now! It also serves as a powerful argument that corporate ownership of the news doesn’t serve the public. That’s clear from the great opening with Goodman literally chasing Trump’s climate advisor, P. Wells Griffith III, at a conference in Poland. She asks direct but basic questions that he refuses to answer; his one response is to tell Goodman that she is harassing him. Read full review.
Liz Whittemore “Radical.” “Liberal.” “Activist.” – words meant as insults are badges of honor for independent journalist Amy Goodman. For years, I’ve been a fan of Democracy Now!, not knowing Goodman was the source of my information and fervent political views. Steal This Story, Please is her story. Amy Goodman’s sense of justice comes from generations of family members who listened, protected, and recognized inequity and outright cruelty, teaching her how to identify patriarchal abuse from childhood. Her fearless acts in truth-seeking led her to be a leader in independent journalism, a skill needed now more than ever. Unafraid to confront soldiers, heads of state, giant corporations, and the media machine itself, Goodman is a testament to a woman’s take-no-shit attitude, but with grace, soul, and empathy. One quote perfectly sums up her career: “It’s just showing up and asking the questions.” In an age of AI and rage-baiting, Goodman’s ethics continue to make her a leader in her field. Don’t you dare ignore her. ilmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal utilize Goodman’s wealth of archival footage to tell the story of an unapologetic reporter who had the gumption to challenge the media norm, standing the test of time through the 90s media culture wars, or what we should call the bastardization of the industry. It’s not something that happened in the last 10 years. It was a slow, steady climb to prioritize profit over truth. Terror and sensationalism sell. In a landscape of lies, Amy Goodman is a pillar of strength.
Goodman’s work stands the test of time, inspiring generations of female journalists who won’t tolerate misogyny, won’t be told to smile or be nicer, and will never back down in their mission to inform the masses. Integrity in journalism has to mean something. Steal This Story, Please ignites a fire in the pit of your belly. “We will not be silent.” We cannot be silent.
Monique Jones Amy Goodman’s commitment to humanizing the subjects of her stories exemplifies how one person can make a difference by using their voice to inspire others to stand up for what’s right in the world. Goodman might look like a small, frail woman, but she has inner mettle that would put the most Alpha male to shame. She is, in a word, a badass. She’s an amazing reminder that your voice is important to the world–you never know how far your voice can reach until you use it. Read full review.
Cate Marquis The documentary shows how Goodman’s early life in a family of activists and those committed to truth-telling, led her to the kind of journalism that gives readers and listeners the whole story instead of half-truths or incomplete stories, as mainstream corporate media so often does, as well as highlighting Goodman’s tireless efforts to give voice to the voiceless, downtrodden and overlooked. The documentary highlights a host of under-reported stories that Goodman helped break, such as toxic air pollution after 9/11, stories which eventually were picked up by mainstream media, in part due to her relentless coverage. Read full review.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Steal This Story, Please
Directors: Tia Lessen and Carl Deal
Release Date: April 17, 2026
Running Time: 98 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Dcumentary, Tia Lessen, Carl Deal, Amy Goodman
Lead Characters : Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzales
Distribution Company:
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Momique Jones, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow,, Liz Whittemore
Other Movies Opening This Week
Edited by Jennifer Merin
