''Shadows of Liberty'' is a 2012 British documentary film directed by Canadian filmmaker Jean-Philippe Tremblay. The documentary examines the impact of corporate media and

concentration of media ownership Concentration of media ownership (also known as media consolidation or media convergence) is a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media. Contemporary research demonstrates in ...

on journalism and the news. It is based on the book '' The Media Monopoly'' by

Ben Bagdikian Ben-hur Haig Bagdikian (January 30, 1920 – March 11, 2016) was an Armenian-American journalist, news media critic and commentator, and university professor. An Armenian genocide survivor, Bagdikian moved to the United States as an infant and ...

. The film’s title is borrowed from a Thomas Paine quote: "When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon." The film portrays the U.S. media, including the major TV networks, as controlled by fewer and larger conglomerates that exercise extraordinary political social and economic power. It is structured around 14 vignettes that allege censorship at the U.S. networks, including the 1996 TWA 800 air disaster controversy and

Nike sweatshops Nike, Inc. has been accused of using sweatshops and worker abuse to produce footwear and apparel in East Asia. After rising prices and the increasing cost of labor in Korean and Taiwanese factories, Nike began contracting in countries elsewhere ...

in Asia. It also alleges how the investigation of these stories has cost the jobs and in some cases the lives of investigating journalists (as suggested by the case of Gary Webb who committed suicide in 2004). It features interviews with journalists, activists and academics including Amy Goodman,

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

Julian Assange Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. WikiLeaks came to international attention in 2010 when it published a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army inte ...

, Dan Rather, David Simon, Norman Solomon, Robert Baer, Roberta Baskin, Robert W. McChesney,

Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg (born April 7, 1931) is an American political activist, and former United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, Ellsberg precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the ''Pent ...

Chris Hedges Christopher Lynn Hedges (born September 18, 1956) is an American journalist, Presbyterian minister, author, and commentator. In his early career, Hedges worked as a freelance war correspondent in Central America for ''The Christian Science Mon ...

, Deepa Kumar, and

Kristina Borjesson Kristina Borjesson is a freelance journalist. She edited an award-winning collection of essays, '' Into the Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press'' (2002), for which she wrote a chapter detailing her investigation of the TW ...

Release

The film received its premiere at the 2012

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

. It received its U.S. premiere at the 2013

National Conference for Media Reform The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR) is the largest conference devoted to media technology and news in the United States. Sponsored and presented by the media reform organization Free Press, the conference brings together activists; st ...

in Denver, Colorado.

Reception

It was selected at numerous festivals including

Sheffield Doc/Fest Sheffield DocFest (formerly styled Sheffield Doc/Fest), short for Sheffield International Documentary Festival (SIDF), is an international documentary festival and Marketplace held annually in Sheffield, England. The Festival includes film sc ...

and IDFA. Film critics gave the film mixed reviews. '' The Hollywood Reporter'' reported that "The timing couldn’t be better for a theatrical documentary about a corporate media monopoly in American journalism." Rabble.ca gave the film high praise, describing it as "beautifully shot and replete with artful graphics and animation, ''Shadows of Liberty'' stands on its own as a beautiful artifact" adding that "Artistry, cinematic or otherwise, and clear-eyed political vision rarely come this close together. ''Shadows of Liberty'' as a film, and Jean Philippe Tremblay as auteur are both definitely newsworthy." The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, reporting that "''Shadows of Liberty'' asks consumers to look critically at what they are being told, and seek out what they are not" but added that "Unfortunately, the damning material Tremblay uses is dated". ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' described the film as "professionally made but somewhat bloated".

References

External links

''Shadows of Liberty''
official website *{{IMDb title, 1543807 2012 documentary films 2012 films British documentary films Documentary films about mass media owners Documentary films about journalism 2010s English-language films 2010s British films English-language documentary films