All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone

Independence was the watchword of legendary American investigative journalist I.F. Stone, who published his tiny, highly-respected newsletter from 1953 to 1971. “You can’t fulfill your function unless you’re free!” Stone said. This is a piece of wisdom that still inspires many, including Glenn Greenwald, who published Edward Snowden’s NSA secrets, and John Carlos Frey, who did research into mass graves at the Mexican-American border. In this energetic film, they and other independent, investigative, adversarial journalists talk passionately about their work and allow the camera to follow them as they use government documents to expose deception. It’s work that involves a great deal of patience and a certain aptitude for paperwork. “All governments lie” was I.F. Stone’s motto – and it continues to serve as a maxim for the film’s featured journalists in their time-consuming, specialized work, exposing stories in which the corporate-owned mainstream media have shown little interest.