The State of Journalism on the Documentary Filmmaking Scene

Professor Patricia Aufderheide and filmmaker Marissa Woods conducted interviews with 66 professionals in documentary-focused journalism to examine how journalism addresses documentary’s role on the informational frontier. Documentary filmmaking is growing faster than its standards, increasingly swaying public opinion and shaping the public’s perception of reality. According to Pew Research Center data, 52% of Americans believe scientific information presented in documentaries is true, while only 28% trust scientific information when the source is a general news outlet. This significant public trust underscores the need for publicized standards and increased space within journalism to safeguard the integrity of documentary as a trusted source of information. Standards must be established by documentarians themselves, alongside a broader public discussion of these standards to sustain trust.