Dir: Eric Daniel Metzgar
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Duration: 90mins
Print Source: mikaela@stickfigureproductions.com
www.reporterfilm.com
Psychologists have coined the term 'psychic numbing' to refer to the mental block people have when they can no longer sympathise with the vast magnitude of human suffering, when the number of victims exceeds imagination. Worryingly, studies suggest that we can relate to and offer help to one person, possibly two, but beyond this it becomes mere mathematics. Nicholas Kristof is the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times journalist whose job is to make people care about the scale of human suffering, to find the story that will deeply affect readers.
Following Kristof to the Congo, Reporter examines not just the social and cultural situation in the country but the role and function of the journalist in a world increasingly dominated by infotainment. The film shows the tragedy and hardship Kristof reports on as he seeks to explain the situation and stimulate readers to effect humanitarian aid, cultural change and political responses.