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Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press is a fairly standard documentary in form, but its subject, reporter, and author, George Seldes, is such a compelling figure and he's had such a long and fascinating career that the film is still exciting and thought provoking. Some viewers may disagree with Seldes' political views, but it's hard to argue with the prescience of his passionate early critiques of Stalin, Mussolini's fascist government, the corrupting influence of advertising and monopolistic control on the American media, and the disregard of the tobacco industry for the health of its customers. As Seldes and others in the film report, he risked his career many times over, and even his life, to report the truth as he saw it. Director Rick Goldsmith also delves into Seldes' personal life. Seldes' description of the loss of his wife (and frequent work partner) of many years is simple and moving. An amusing segment describes the man's intense correspondence with J. Edgar Hoover, who vehemently denied that the FBI kept detailed records of Americans who subscribed to literature like Seldes' own newsletter, In Fact. Hoover wrote him frequently until Seldes sent him a copy of an official FBI document he'd obtained, detailing the mail that was being sent to Seldes' wife. The film shows the powerful influence Seldes had on left-wing corporate media criticism through interviews with subjects like consumer advocate-politician Ralph Nader, writer Nat Hentoff, and Jeff Cohen of F.A.I.R. Not everything in the film works, like Goldsmith's use of irritating close-ups of actors' mouths shouting the text of the critical mail In Fact received. But Goldsmith certainly succeeds in his greater purpose -- capturing the man's passion and his unyielding crusade to speak truth to power and inform the American people.