James R | On 07, Jun 2018

BBC Two will take audiences behind the scenes of The New York Times this June, with a new series Inside The New York Times: The Fourth Estate.

Following the inner workings of one of the most prolific American media outlets during the first 12 months of Donald Trump’s presidency, the four-part series sees filmmakers granted unique access on the ground with reporters, revealing the challenges, triumphs and pitfalls of covering a President who has declared war on the free press.

From the first few days of Trump’s inauguration, to accusations of ‘fake news’ and the emergence of huge stories about Russia and Charlottesville that have a resounding national impact, the documentary also looks at news and reporting in the digital age, and how journalism is having to evolve to cope with the development of social media and changes in the way and rate at which people consume news content on a nonstop 24-hour news cycle. Can such an institution survive in the face of constant cuts and accusations from Trump of being “the failing New York Times”?

The series was commissioned in the UK for Patrick Holland, Controller BBC Two, through the BBC Documentary Department under Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. It is directed by Liz Garbus, who recently helmed Netflix’s Oscar-nominated What Happened, Miss Simone? and the documentary Love, Marilyn.

Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two, says: “This is a stunning series giving remarkable access to the New York Times editorial team during the turbulent early months of Trump’s presidency. At a time when so many of the mainstream media misread the mood in the USA and beyond, this series offers a candid, shocking and illuminating exploration of the shifting relationship between journalism and political power.”

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