“I always believe in truth. Sometimes I know truth others don’t. That puts me in a little bit of jeopardy sometimes.” – Seymour Hersh.
Writing this article days after journalist Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents, for what was described by Attorney General Pam Bondi as a ”coordinated attack’ on a Minnesota church, feels surreal although not surprising. Initially the article set out to critique the Netflix documentary Cover-Up, which details the extraordinary career of American investigative journalist, Seymour Hersh but, as the bizarre news of Lemon’s arrest filtered through, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the synchronistic timing.
Lemon was arrested with three others and charged with conspiracy to deprive church goers of their rights to congregate and interfering with their First Amendment Rights. All this without a hint of irony. According to Lemon, he was there only in a journalistic capacity, live streaming the demonstrations against the violent, and at times deadly actions of ICE agents. Lemon and fellow journalist Georgia Fort (winner of a two-year fellowship from the Bush Foundation, in 2025), were simply doing their job, reporting the truth.
Cover-Up
‘Truth’, the common thread that runs through Seymour Hersh’s work and Cover-Up, the Netflix documentary directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus. It presents, without flinching, the American cognitive dissonance between acting as the self-imposed keeper of global peace, contrasting its ‘good guy’ image, with its dark and twisted reality. If the horrifying images and witness testimony of the My Lai massacre doesn’t haunt you then the depiction of torture and depravity at Abu Ghraib should. Hersh struggles to decide whether to complete the documentary or to ‘throw in the towel’ when events get too close for comfort. However, it is clear he cares deeply for his sources and any prospect they might be compromised leaves him behaving as an overprotective parent.
Journalism today
Hersh could be seen as a dying breed. A journalist who will seek the truth and challenge those who obstruct it to expose what power and money cover up. And now, on American streets, journalists are being arrested for simply doing their job, leading to fear and intimidation that may lead to the demise of their breed.
However, we must be honest with ourselves, too. Can we claim to be shocked by the actions of the current regime when previous administrations have justified drugging US citizens with LSD?
The difference is how these actions are presented. How the end justifies the means. For example, the United States involvement in the Second World War had clear and defined rules of engagement but what happens when the lines become blurry and murky, without reason or restraint? Vietnam happens. A war where young American combatants came to the disturbing realisation, they may be the bad guys, leading many to embrace the role in the most sadistic manner.
What is ‘the truth’?
The truth is a strange commodity varies depending on your perspective and something thisdocumentary lays bare, both in favour and against its subject. Truth evaded its most avid supporters with Hersh wrongly claiming the chemical attack on Ghouta, killing of hundreds of Syrian citizens, was not the action of then President Assad but rather a US conspiracy. Hersh does not dwell on this error but instead, only acknowledges his flawed reporting and his naivety in accepting Assad at face value.
Hersh and many of his fellow journalists have accommodated uncomfortable truths about the United States and have failed to challenge them as they permeate the political sphere. Hersh’s stories are heralded by some as the best examples of what can happen if journalists dogmatically follow their story to the bitter end and begs the question, what next for the ‘truth tellers’?
Trump’s America
The pendulum of extremes is just that, extreme, and what is happening on US streets today is nothing new. Donald Trump is a president who feels he has no reason to hide the extremes. No cover ups here and possibly, the more shocking and disturbing, the better. Trump thrives in chaos and there is no better description of the country than ‘chaotic’. Trump’s America battles with its conscience once again, and one thing is certain, the truth must prevail, however uncomfortable and unnerving it appears and journalists must continue to tell the truth, without fear and despite intimidation.
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