REVIEW: Cover-up

Cover-up follows the career of the outspoken American investigative and political journalist Seymour Hersh, and highlights his relentless fight against government, military and corporate corruption. Fascinating but violent archival footage is present throughout the documentary depicting historic events, from the Vietnam War to the office of The New York Times in the 70s when Hersh was pumping out one controversial story after the other.

Hersh, well known for exposing the My Lai massacre and many other controversies was both loved and hated–even by co-workers–for his justly provocative nature. Helped by a number of inside sources that grew alongside his reputation, Hersh ruined careers and tainted the image of even the most powerful entities. Among his foremost enemies was Henry Kissinger, whose firm grasp on The New York Times was loosened one finger at a time following the arrival of Hersh.

The film is almost made more sincere by the reluctance of Hersh to open up and to share about his informants. Hersh, now 88, was first approached by Cover-up director Laura Poitras about making a documentary over twenty years ago, when he declined her proposition. During the film, Hersh is visibly uncomfortable with the prospect of opening up about his life and career to the point where he temporarily withdraws from the documentary. Though Hersh is presented in a good light, it is easy to see how you might regret finding yourself on his bad side.

The Hersh of today seems relatively unchanged and the documentary swings between current and past footage as he speaks. The current footage shows the journalist communicating with a source in Gaza and scribbling down illegible notes. He writes on Subtack where he continues to keep a sharp eye on the state of the U.S. and its affairs.

Standout moments in Cover-up include Hersh’s calm and unwavering attitude whilst he is pressed by television hosts and guest callers, footage of and interviews with U.S. soldiers during and after the Vietnam War (including William Calley Jr.) and Hersh’s involvement in the takedown of the CIA, including the resignation of James Angleton. Another interesting scene, an early one, has Hersh talking over old footage, about his time at Pentagon press conferences, where he casually spoke with young officers to learn inside information about the Vietnam War. He speaks about the other journalists there who would write short articles based on press conference transcripts and says, “I think what you have in America is not so much censorship, but self-censorship by the press.”

The film could almost hold its own with its display of beautiful historical footage, including a good amount of footage of the young Hersh. That, mixed with fair editing and a good dose of Hersh’s blunt narrative, makes Cover-up worth watching.

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