Sustained Outrage (PBS, 2020)

Director + Producer

25 min.

Sustained Outrage is a portrait of a family-owned newspaper in Charleston, West Virginia. Filmed over the course of several years, we document the struggles and triumphs of an independent local paper taking on the most powerful interests in the state. We follow journalist Eric Eyre, whose dogged investigative reporting exposed the flood of opioids flowing into West Virginia -- and won him the Pulitzer Prize. Yet, a few months after their win, the paper faces a grim reality: bankruptcy ahead of a sale. The film is a window into the journalists who work tirelessly for the truth and for their community, as well as a timely glimpse into what is at stake if we lose them.

The film was produced by The Documentary Group, run by two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Yellin. The film premiered at the 2019 New Orleans Film Festival, and screened at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Mountainfilm, AmDocs 2020, AFI Fest and the San Luis Obispo Film Festival (winner: Best Short Documentary), amongst others. The film is currently being broadcast on PBS’ Reel South and took part in NBC’s Meet the Press film festival and digital showcase.

For a link to the full film, please reach out to gabycavanagh@gmail.com.