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Journalism Documentary Film Free Screening Tuesday
Stripped for Parts director Rick Goldsmith speaks at a screening of his film

Free Documentary Screening April 8 Depicts Journalism Problems in Pottstown, Nation

April 3, 2025

POTTSTOWN PA – A free screening of the documentary film “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink” will be shown April 8 (2025; Tuesday) at The Hill School Center for the Arts, 766 Beech St.

The screening begins at 6 p.m., and a panel discussion will follow. It is scheduled to include the film’s director, Academy Award-nominated film maker Rick Goldsmith; Mercury reporter Evan Brandt, former Mercury Sports Editor Austin Hertzog, and Bill Ross, executive director of the News Guild of Greater Philadelphia.

The film is the story of how a financial hedge fund, Alden Global Capital – which owns The Mercury, Pottstown’s local paper – is “plundering” local newspapers nationwide, according to industry observers. It also reports how journalists are fighting back. This screening is sponsored by The Newspaper Guild-CWA Local 38010.

Goldsmith says he became aware of the situation after reading an article sent to him by legendary journalist Bill Moyers.

“Three things from the article jumped out at me. First was the notion that profits were to be made by ‘wrecking’ journalism, rather than practicing it. Why? Second was the revelation that money could be made from an industry seemingly in collapse. How? Third — and this is what hooked me — was that newspapermen and women in Colorado were in apparent open revolt against their own publisher.”

“Now that’s news!,” adds Goldsmith. Watch a trailer for the film online.

‘A Good, Socially Conscious Documentary’

Journalist Julie Reynolds began investigating practices of hedge fund Alden Global Capital as it bought up local news outlets across the country and slashed their budgets

“Stripped for Parts does exactly what a good, socially conscious documentary should do,” says Victor Pickard, professor of media policy and political economy at the University of Pennsylvania. “It identifies an urgent problem, explains how we got here, why it matters, and, most important, considers what we should do about it.”

Everything that happens to newspapers in the film has happened to The Mercury, members of its staff report.

For eight decades, The Mercury was a robust, crusading local newspaper, its advocates say. It also is the smallest circulation paper in the nation ever to win two Pulitzer Prizes.

With Alden Global Capital taking ownership, The Mercury is following the same pattern as all 76 local dailies and more than 300 weekly newspapers Alden now controls, they add. Its building was rented to an Alden subsidiary as it fell into disrepair, and then was sold. The staff has been reduced to a fraction of its former workforce.

Many readers acknowledge the paper is filled with stories from outside news outlets, as well as with articles from other papers Alden owns. Locally, Alden owns familiar mastheads including The Reading Eagle, The Allentown Morning Call, The Norristown Times-Herald, The Daily Local News in Chester County, The Reporter in Lansdale, and The Delware County Daily Times.

Third In A Trilogy of Films

Experts agree the print newspaper business model has struggled during the past 20 years, as America’s media landscape has transformed. Adapting to that new landscape has become more difficult, the same experts suggest, as Alden siphons revenue from profitable, often debt-free publications.

Among those on the list are The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and The Denver Post. Staff members there who are said to have revolted against its owner became the trigger for Goldsmith’s film.

“Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink” (2023) is the third in a trilogy of films with journalism themes, following “Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press,” (1996) and “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” (2009), co-produced and co-directed with Judith Ehrlich.

Both were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature. “Most Dangerous Man” also won a Peabody Award.

Photos provided to Travels With The Post by
Rick Goldsmith from “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink“

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Local and Regional News

Looking for free local news? See these sources:

The PCTV Network. PCTV, headquartered in Pottstown, provides local television programming in western Montgomery, northern Chester, and eastern Berks counties.

Digital Notebook. Pottstown resident Evan Brandt is the sole reporter for the venerable Pottstown Mercury newspaper. For many years, until February 2022, he offered observations about happenings in the borough and elsewhere. They remain valuable from a historical perspective.

The Boyertown Expression. Covers municipalities primarily within Berks County’s Boyertown Area School District, and focuses on the municipalities of Boyertown, Bally, Barto, and Gilbertsville. Its operators, Leslie Misko and Jane Stahl, are long-time Boyertown area residents with backgrounds in education and art.

Perk Valley Now. Covers municipalities primarily within Montgomery County's Perkiomen Valley School District: Zionsville, Schwenksville, Perkiomen, Perkiomenville, Trappe, Collegeville, and Skippack PA.

North Penn Now. Covers municipalities primarily within Montgomery County's North Penn School District: Hatfield township and borough, Lansdale, North Wales, Montgomery, Towamencin and Upper Gwynedd.

Keystone Wayfarer. Described by author Paula Hogan "as an outlet to publish accounts” that explore “the extensive history” of people and places in and around Schwenksville PA and, more broadly, Montgomery County PA.

Daily Voice Pottstown. Covers municipalities in western Montgomery County and beyond.

MyChesCo. MyChesCo has covered Chester County news since 2017.

Berks Community Television. Covers Berks County.

Spotlight PA. An investigative news service for Pennsylvania, supported by several news organizations statewide. It is starting a Berks County Edition.

Philly Voice. Covers Philadelphia and the suburbs.

Lehigh Valley News. Lehigh Valley News, headquartered in Bethlehem PA, provides news coverage in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and counties of the Lehigh Valley.

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