INTERVIEW: ‘Trust Docs’ reports on the underreported

Link TV and the Thomson Reuters Foundation recently premiered their new TV series, Trust Docs, which strives to report on global and social issues that often don’t make the so-called mainstream press. The first few episodes have centered on such topics as women’s labor rights, the end of Colombia’s 50-year war and what life is like in refugee camps.

Liz Mermin, a documentary filmmaker who has been with the Thomson Reuters Foundation since 2014, serves as executive producer of Trust Docs, and recently she exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about the new series. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

What can viewers expect from the new series, Trust Docs?

Each episode is a collection of personal stories from all over the world, giving voice to people who don’t usually make the headlines. The stories are grouped thematically, gathered here for the first time to offer new insights into the effects of climate change, the refugee crisis, women’s roles in the developing world or the aftermaths of the war in Colombia. The stories are surprising, moving and funny — not the kind of thing we’re used to seeing in the news, but very much the kind of thing that’s going on all over the world off-screen. The series should break stereotypes and open minds — and no matter how much worldly you may be, there will be something in the series to surprise you.

Why is it important to tell these stories?

These days so many of us are focused on our own rather troubled backyards, but we can’t solve problems at home if we don’t understand our place in the wider world — so often reduced to clichés. So there’s the selfish reason this is important: Like it or not, we do live in a globalized world, and decisions made by individuals in California have consequences for people on the other side of the world. Similarly, our lives are affected by changes and crises elsewhere in the world (climate change, migration, battles over resources). There’s also the fact that these stories are very particular, but they resonate with experiences around the world. And we can [get] inspiration and insights that will help us understand our own issues and challenges from them.

But on a deeper level, we watch stories to be entertained and to learn, and what’s striking about these little films is how the experience of a boy growing up in the shadow of the Balkan wars or a nurse who survived Ebola in Sierra Leone can touch us — by showing us how similar people around the world are, despite vastly different experiences of life.

Why do you believe these stories are underreported by the so-called mainstream media?

They aren’t the headline-grabbers. And the news moves on. Who is reporting on the aftermath of a war that ended in 1995? It’s too far down the news agenda to spend money on. But think about it for 10 seconds, and it’s obvious that we should be thinking about the impact of war on a generation of children, so we can look ahead and not be surprised by the generational crises that will hit us in the 2020s. This argument could be made for most of the stories in the series — they may not have the level of tragedy or triumph required by mainstream media, but they are stories about real life for people like us all over the world.

The other issue of course is that our culture (in the U.S. and in the U.K., where the Thomson Reuters Foundation is based) is increasingly inward-looking. How do you compete with the Trump show? But even before then, newspapers and TV outlets have been slashing budgets for foreign desks and correspondents — because the business is in trouble, and these are the first jobs to go. The lack of global stories creates a public that doesn’t know about the world and increasingly doesn’t care, and then the editors say there’s no market for international stories. It’s a vicious circle.

What were some of the challenges of creating these documentaries?

The hardest thing is finding the stories: You have to have people out there, on the ground, feeding these stories back. You can’t find them by browsing the Internet. Also they’ve been filmed by a whole range of people, from professional  filmmakers and videographers to text journalists learning the ropes on the camera — they have fantastic access, so the technical side isn’t as important, but from an editor’s perspective working with such a range of contributors poses unique challenges — and offers unique opportunities, like the amazing range of stories we have to offer.

Do you feel this series is intended to inform and educate, or inspire change?

At the Thomson Reuters Foundation, we are journalists, not advocates. The foundation motto is ‘inform — connect — empower.’ The editorial team focuses on inform, but our stories also connect people emotionally at least across the globe. And we hope they empower people to change their own worlds, as well as empowering the people in the films who are able to tell their stories.

Of course, some stories have broader impact, and this is fantastic. Shining a light on improper activity can change corporate or government behavior. Media coverage of the plight of the Yazidis helped push the UN and international community to protect them and fight for their rights. Social change comes more slowly, as in women’s empowerment or LGBT rights, but telling stories of inspiring pioneers can help promote equality. Everyone hopes that their work will change the world for the better, and our means is to do so through storytelling.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Trust Docs is currently airing on Link TV. Click here for more information and a schedule of episodes.