Truth

Truth is a 2015 American biographical political drama film written and directed by James Vanderbilt in his directorial debut. It is based on American television news producer Mary Mapes's memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power. The film focuses on the Killian documents controversy and the resulting last days of news anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes at CBS News. It stars Cate Blanchett as Mapes and Robert Redford as Rather. Truth had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received a limited release in the United States on October 16, 2015, before being released nationwide on October 30, 2015, by Sony Pictures Classics. Plot In the months before the US 2004 presidential election, Mary Mapes (producer of the primetime news program 60 Minutes Wednesday) and her crew consisting of Mike Smith (Grace), Lucy Scott (Moss), and Colonel Roger Charles (Quaid) are seeking evidence to verify whether or not George W. Bush received any preferential treatment during his time in the military. Charles, knowing that the military "is good at what they do," believes there were no mistakes or errors, despite some claims that Bush's records were lost or altered, and that Bush had difficulty meeting minimal physical aptitude testing. Seeking leads, Mapes and her crew eventually find Bill Burkett, who says he has documents in the form of memos and letters dictating that Bush did indeed have preferential treatment and went AWOL for one year in 1972. Rather also interviews former Texan Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes who admits he pulled strings which enabled George Bush to join the National Guard. Mapes produces a story that Dan Rather reports on 60 Minutes. After the airing, Mapes and Rather face questions over the accuracy of the segment. The authenticity of the documents on which the allegations are based is called into question. A controversy is fueled by radio hosts and bloggers and amplified by mainstream media sources, The Washington Post, and by CBS itself. Certain characteristics of the memos, such as their font and letter spacing, indicate they were created on a computer using Microsoft Word, and therefore could not have been typed on a typewriter in the early 1970s. Subsequently, Burkett, who presented the documents, admits that he lied about where he obtained them.