News Matters

The deadly siege at the US Capitol is rooted in an ocean of anger and baseless conspiracy theories. And the vanishing of more than 2,000 newspapers across the country has led to vacuum of trusted information and an epidemic of misinformation. News Matters explores the roots of dangerous misinformation, complicated by the slow destruction of the Fourth Estate. News Matters follows the desperate attempt by Colorado journalists to save the 125-year-old Denver Post from certain death by vulture investor/owner Alden Global Capital, while trying to cut through the noise of social media and opinion news outlets. Chuck Plunkett captures national attention when he leads a revolt against The Denver Post's hedge fund owners, all while the newspaper industry crumbles and while journalists are being called the enemy of the people. The Denver Post is in crisis. Colorado's 125-year-old newspaper is being slowly killed off, not by the internet and the onslaught of free information. The Post is being killed off by its owners. Alden Global Capital, a New York City based hedge fund owns a majority share in the company that operates the Denver Post. Instead of reinvesting profits, Alden is siphoning those profits away from the newspaper, forcing layoffs on the newsroom. Now, the paper is in its death throws, struggling to operate under a skeleton crew. News Matters is a new documentary film that chronicles the dramatic events in trying to save The Denver Post and protect journalism in American democracy. A courageous group of journalists are now banding together to try and save The Denver Post in a hail Mary pass. The Paper's own editorial editor, Chuck Plunkett, ignited a rebellion after publishing an editorial calling out The Post's owners as "vulture capitalists," and urging them to sell the newspaper to someone who cares about news. That editorial ended up on the front page of the New York Times editorial page. Since then, journalists, community leaders and local investors have been gathering in a bold attempt to convince Alden to sell The Denver Post, while publicly criticizing and even protesting. Journalists became activists, walking out of the Post marching and carrying signs. Some even traveled to Alden's headquarters in New York City to protest. News Matters follows Chuck Plunkett and a band of journalists through their paces as they fight to keep their The Post alive in an era of fake news and biased media. The film will take a close look at how newspapers have