‘The Killing of a Journalist’ Director on Taking a Broader Look at Corruption
variety.comJennie Punter Conflict hot spots, war frontlines, and violent protests may seem the most obvious places for journalists to die in the line of duty, but “The Killing of a Journalist,” which recently premiered at Toronto’s Hot Docs, compellingly illustrates how investigative journalism—particular the kind that crunches numbers and sticks its nose in the shady corners where politics and organized crime intersect—is more insidiously deadly.Directed by U.S.
journalist Matt Sarnecki—a senior producer for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Bucharest-based since 2013—the film began as an investigation of the brutal murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová in their home in February 2018.
It was the first-ever targeted killing of a journalist in Slovakia. Kuciak, who was self-taught in understanding financial data but highly effective at sifting through numbers for clues to corruption, had frequently focused on combative millionaire businessman Marián Kočner, who verbally threatened the journalist weeks before his death.While local police dragged their heels, massive protests erupted in the streets.
More than a year passed. And then an anonymous tipster delivered a stash of leaked files—70 terabytes of digital data—to investigative journalist Pavla Holcová, the anchoring voice of the film, which includes verité scenes of people involved with the murder, sit-down interviews with family and colleagues, and archival material.Journos working through the files are shocked at the schemes and at how far the old corruption networks stretched.Sarnecki, whose earlier documentary for OCCRP, “Killing Pavel,” investigated the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kyiv in.
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