Mike Clark: Why the movie "Spotlight" hit the mark on several levels

Florida Times-Union
April 30, 2016

http://jacksonville.com/business/columnists/2016-04-30/story/mike-clark-why-movie-spotlight-hit-mark-several-levels#

I choked up the first time I watched the movie “Spotlight.”

And the second and the third.

The Oscar-winning movie hit home in three areas.

First, it’s about journalism. That’s been my only career since realizing in high school that this is what I wanted. I’ve been a lucky guy to love my work.

Second, it’s about the Roman Catholic faith. I am a cradle Catholic. I would ascribe any success in life to intense loyalty to faith and family — the two are intertwined. I spent 12 years in Catholic schools, including one year in a Franciscan seminary. My faith keeps me centered.

Third, I am a former movie reviewer, so I appreciated the difficulty of putting the unglamorous work of investigative journalism onto a big screen. Digging through dusty old rosters of priests is real life.

So please allow me to offer a few thoughts about the movie and the issues it raised.

Accuracy: The issues involved in newsgathering were illustrated honestly, warts and all. The Boston Globe had an earlier opportunity to investigate the sex abuse within the church and simply missed it. But as long as that investigative team existed, there remained an opportunity to follow up.

The movie also revealed the difficult decisions involved in when to publish.

All towns are small towns: Within the power elite, at least, all towns are led by a relative few. Every city has its sacred cows. A good newspaper must be willing to take on a local institution, even if it is beloved, when it’s called for.

The helping professions of the clergy, teachers and law enforcement are placed on a pedestal. But when individuals dishonor their calling, they must be held accountable. That’s the often unpopular job of journalists.

Leadership matters: An organization reflects the personality of its leaders. Locally, the Times-Union has supported and invested in strong investigative reporting. In Boston’s case, it was clear the expose needed an editor with a strong and firm hand. It took an outside editor to see the real story without the impediments of local connections.

Florida connection: Having experience with Florida’s strong Sunshine laws helped lead the Globe’s editor Marty Baron to press for court records that would expose the cover-up.

Reporters need help: The Globe’s reporters could not do their jobs without excellent sources. A persistent attorney had been working with abuse victims for years. And a few inside sources with connections to the church helped to confirm facts. Often these sources don’t want to be identified, but they are essential to good journalism.

The bottom line: According to a study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, about 4 percent of U.S. priests ministering from 1950 to 2002 were accused of sex abuse.

That’s a small percentage, but the impact was great because many abusers weren’t stopped.

The movie leaves this lingering question: How many children would have been abused if the Globe had never investigated?