I.F. Stone's Weekly (1973)

Genres - War  |   Sub-Genres - Biography, Journalism, Media Studies  |   Release Date - Oct 18, 1973 (USA - Unknown)  |   Run Time - 62 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
  • AllMovie Rating
    8
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Synopsis by Mark Deming

Born in Philadelphia in 1907, Isador Feinstein Stone was a reporter who believed in doing more than just reporting the facts, but also analyzing the thinking and motives of the newsmakers and uncovering the stories behind the news. He was one of the first journalists who encouraged an Allied front against Adolf Hitler, and spoke out in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs. Writing for a variety of mainstream publications and political magazines, Stone was an outspoken critic of the Korean War and the Red-baiting tactics of Sen. Joseph McCarthy -- a bold but dangerous stand to take in the early '50s, which led to Stone being blacklisted from a number of newspapers. In 1953, Stone responded by launching his own political journal, I.F. Stone's Weekly, in which he continued to bravely go against the grain, challenging the anti-communist hysteria in the '50s and leading the crusade to end the Vietnam War as early as 1964, when he called into question Lyndon B. Johnson's account of the Gulf of Tonkin incident. In time, Stone's small weekly newsletter became one of America's most respected political journals, and reached a circulation of 70,000 before he ceased publication due to poor health. Jerry Bruck Jr.'s documentary I.F. Stone's Weekly offers an intimate look at Stone, his career, his life and times, and his commitment to his principles in the face of often difficult circumstances.

Characteristics

Keywords

crusade, muckracking, reporter, Vietnam, whistleblower, witchhunt [persecution], journalism