At DOC NYC 2018, I had the pleasure of moderating a discussion on “Storytelling in a Post-Truth World” with editors Rabab Haj Yahya, Bryan Chang, and Rob Kuhns for the festival’s “DOC NYC PRO: Mastering Your Craft” series. While the subject is particularly charged in a world of “alternative facts” we all agreed that it is an issue that is always at the heart of documentary editing and present at every stage of the edit. We discussed a range of ideas, including reviewing raw footage, believing our subjects, the ethics of Frankenbites, fact-checking, and how different contexts allows for more or less editorializing to name a few. We also got into something that I am personally always fascinated by: if documentary should or shouldn’t provide a strong perspective, and if “both sides” always need a voice in a film.
