Ausa

Nothing But the Truth (2008)

Actors: Noah Wyle (actor), Ashley Kravitz (miscellaneous crew), Courtney B. Vance (actor), Kate Beckinsale (actress), Angela Bassett (actress), Larry Groupé (composer), David Schwimmer (actor), Matt Dillon (actor), Vera Farmiga (actress), Donald Meyers (actor), Alan Alda (actor), Robert Harvey (actor), Jamey Sheridan (actor), Donald Meyers (miscellaneous crew), Bob Yari (producer),

Plot: Thinking Pulitzer Prize and hoping to bring down a President, D.C. political columnist Rachel Armstrong writes that the President ignored the findings of a covert CIA operative when ordering air strikes against Venezuela. Rachel names the agent, Erica Van Doren, a woman whose young daughter is in Rachel's son's class at school. The government moves quickly to force Rachel to name her source. She's jailed for contempt when she refuses. She won't change her mind, and the days add up. Chaos descends on Van Doren's life as well. First Amendment versus national security, marriage and motherhood versus separation. What's the value of a principle?

Keywords: abuse-of-power, arrest, attorney, beating, cemetery, cia, courtroom, family-relationships, female-prisoner, female-reporter
Genres: Drama, Thriller,
Taglines: Don't Reveal the Source

Quotes:

Ray Armstrong: [staring at his wife's new story] You made the top page!

Erica Van Doren: Just tell me this: was it someone close to me? Someone I know?

Dubois: [Telling Armstrong about the consequences of staying silent] You'll be lucky to see your son's graduation!

Avril Aaronson: Talk to me before you talk to the authorities.

[repeated line]::Dubois: Who was your source?

Alan Burnside: [In front of the Supreme Court] In 1972 in Branzburg v. Hayes this Court ruled against the right of reporters to withhold the names of their sources before a grand jury, and it gave the power to the Government to imprison those reporters who did. It was a 5-4 decision, close. In his descent in Branzburg, Justice Stewart said, 'As the years pass, power of Government becomes more and more pervasive. Those in power,' he said, 'whatever their politics, want only to perpetuate it, and the people are the victims.' Well, the years have passed, and that power is pervasive. Mrs. Armstrong could have buckled to the demands of the Government-she could've abandoned her promise of confidentiality. She could've simply gone home to her family. But to do so, would mean that no source would ever speak to her again, and no source would ever speak to her newspaper again. And then tomorrow when we lock up journalists from other newspapers we'll make those publications irrelevant as well, and thus we'll make the First Amendment irrelevant. And then how will we know if a President has covered up crimes or if an army officer has condoned torture? We as a nation will no longer be able to hold those in power accountable to those whom they have power over-and what then is the nature of Government when it has no fear of accountability? We should shutter at the thought. Imprisoning journalists-that's for other countries, that's for countries who fear their citizens, not countries that cherish and protect them. Some time ago, I began to feel the personal, human pressure on Rachel Armstrong and I told her that I was there to represent her and not her principle. And it was not until I met her that I realized that with great people there's no difference between principle and the person.

Dubois: Now for some reason, you don't reveal your source, you'll be held in contempt. And that means jail time. And we're not talking about some sort of a Martha Stewart cell with a butler nonsense.

Dubois: Okay, I'll do all the yadda-yadda. Now you were within your rights to print the information that you obtained. However, you are not within your rights to protect who it was that gave Erica up to you, who exposed her. It's a 1982 law called the Intelligence Identity's Protection Act. Your source is in a great deal of trouble.::Rachel Armstrong: [Interrupting] I have no intention to...::Dubois: [Overrides her] I'm doing the yadda-yadda, remember?

Dubois: People are inherently decent, I have found.::Rachel Armstrong: If that were true that would put you out of a job, no?

Erica Van Doren: I know you can't tell me who your source is. I respect that, okay? I know about keeping secrets.