Podcasts · The Mishal Husain Show
Netflix’s ‘Cover-Up’ Director Laura Poitras on ICE, ‘Domestic Terrorists’ and US Surveillance
· 46 min
Episode Netflix’s ‘Cover-Up’ Director Laura Poitras on ICE, ‘Domestic Terrorists’ and US Surveillance
The killing of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis has made January a dark month for many across America. Both Alex Pretti and Renee Good were quickly labeled “domestic terrorists" by the Trump administration, which accused them of endangering the lives of law enforcement. Video evidence soon appeared to contradict government claims, but it’s still a label that filmmaker Laura Poitras says she finds chilling. Poitras has been producing and directing documentaries for more than 20 years, winning both an Oscar and a Pulitzer Prize for her 2014 work “Citizenfour,” which focussed on the whistleblower Edward Snowden and mass surveillance. She too has her own experience of being regarded as a threat by the US government and says she was on a terrorist watch list for years. Her latest film, which this week was nominated for a BAFTA, profiles renowned US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. “Cover-Up,” on Netflix, traces Hersh’s life from his early days in Chicago through his scoops of the 1960s to his current journalism on Substack. It’s a story of media both past and present. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Poitras also reflects on the role of citizen journalism in documenting government violence in places like Minneapolis. 02:53 - “Legendary investigative journalist” Seymour Hersh 05:35 - Poitras and Hersh’s Iraq connection 06:40 - US public “failed by our legacy media” 09:06 - Cycles of impunity 09:50 - Criticism of Hersh’s journalism 11:30 - Hersh quits the film 15:00 - Hersh’s early life 16:19 - Poitras’ lens on America 17:40 - Parallels between Iraq and Venezuela 19:30 - “Regime change” in Venezuela 20:20 - Poitras under surveillance 23:00 - Leaving the US 24:40 - Edward Snowden and NSA secrets 28:15 - “I’m very happy he’s not in a US prison” 32:00 - “Cover-Up” and the present day 33:33 - “Whistleblowers face the consequences” 35:00 - “Citizen journalists” 37:00 - Mishal speaks to Poitras for a second time 38:00 - Alex Pretti and the violence in Minneapolis 39:30 - “Domestic terrorist” 40:17 - “Journalists have an obligation” 40:50 - A tipping point for ICE?
Watch this podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0Ns_wjGlmjlPz0cded0nTYS You can find the written version of this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: https://www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net
Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Links in the notes 3
Transcript
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.