Behind the Story

Exclusive interviews and video clips from independent filmmakers, CIR reporters and producers of classic CIR documentaries, discussing their work, how they find their stories and how they choose to present them.

The highs and lows of investigative reporting

Imagine you're a pot reporter. Pot as in weed, marijuana, bud. What could possibly go wrong when you cover a drug that is legally contentious but widely tolerated? CIR reporter Michael Montgomery finds out the hard way.
The I Files: 'Better This World'

How did two boyhood friends from Midland, Texas, wind up arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention?
Behind the Story: ‘Life on the Edge: Looting the Seas’

Steve Bradshaw, editor of the BBC series "Life on the Edge,” discusses constructing a narrative on monitoring flaws that threaten the existence of the Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Latest Reports

Apr 25, 2013
The highs and lows of investigative reporting
Imagine you're a pot reporter. Pot as in weed, marijuana, bud. What could possibly go wrong when you cover a drug that is legally contentious but widely tolerated? CIR reporter Michael Montgomery finds out the hard way.
Ariane Wu

Carrie Ching

Arthur Jones
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
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Aug 30, 2012
The I Files: 'Better This World'
How did two boyhood friends from Midland, Texas, wind up arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention?
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- Money and Politics
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Jun 26, 2012
Behind the Story: ‘Life on the Edge: Looting the Seas’
Steve Bradshaw, editor of the BBC series "Life on the Edge,” discusses constructing a narrative on monitoring flaws that threaten the existence of the Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Derek Lartaud

Sharon Pieczenik
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
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Jun 12, 2012
Behind the Story: 'Iraq’s Secret War Files'
The documentary’s executive producer discusses his first-look access to WikiLeaks reports revealing discrepancies in public and private accounts of U.S. involvement in Iraq.
Sharon Pieczenik
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- National Security
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May 22, 2012
Behind the Story: 'Cinema Komunisto'
Director Mila Turajlić discusses the four years it took to research and film “Cinema Komunisto” and surprises she unearthed in the film archives of Yugoslav President Josip Tito.
Sharon Pieczenik
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- Global Conflict
- Money and Politics
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May 07, 2012
Behind the Story: Price of Sex
Photojournalist Mimi Chakarova tells CIR about her experience filming undercover for “The Price of Sex,” a documentary about young Eastern European women who have been drawn into a netherworld of sex trafficking and abuse.
Ariane Wu

Michael Montgomery
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- The Price of Sex
- Global Conflict
- Health and Welfare
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Apr 24, 2012
Behind the Story: Nostalgia for the Light
Patricio Guzmán talks about his latest film, “Nostalgia for the Light.” In Chile’s Atacama Desert, he explores the connections between time and space in the search for truth
Lauren Rosenfeld

David Ritsher

Ryan Loughlin
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- Environment
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Apr 11, 2012
Behind the Story: Nuestra Familia, Our Family
Oriana Zill de Granados and Julia Reynolds discuss challenges in producing “Nuestra Familia, Our Family,” a 2006 documentary exploring gun violence in Salinas, Calif.
Ryan Loughlin
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- Nuestra Familia, Our Family
- Crime and Justice
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Mar 29, 2012
Behind the Story: ‘The Pipe’
Irish filmmaker Risteard O’Domhnaill discusses going behind mainstream media reports to get to the real story of a small Irish village that stood up to the Shell Oil Co.
Jackie Bennion
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- Environment
- Money and Politics
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Mar 19, 2012
Behind the Story: 'Incident in New Baghdad'
Oscar nominee James Spione discusses his film about an Army veteran’s life-changing experiences in a U.S. helicopter attack that killed journalists and civilians in 2007.
Ariane Wu

David Ritsher
Project(s):
- Behind the Story
- Global Conflict
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