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Cover-Up

Play trailer Poster for Cover-Up R 2025 1h 57m Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Cover-Up is a political thriller that traces the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Urgent and deeply reported, Cover-Up is both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence and the cycles of impunity in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Drawing on exclusive access to Hersh’s notes, and interweaving primary documents and archival footage, Cover-Up captures the power and process of investigative journalism.
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Cover-Up

Cover-Up

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Critics Consensus

Cover-Up shines a light on Seymour Hersh's remarkable career and the pugnacious commitment it required, making for an absorbing and instructive treatise on journalistic responsibility.

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Critics Reviews

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Keith Uhlich (All (Parentheses)) (Substack) Jan 18, 2026
When it comes to the darker shades of Hersh's personality and pursuits, Poitras and Obenhaus tend to pull a Homer Simpson-style hedge retreat rather than probe deeper into the behavioral and psychological verdure. Go to Full Review
Robert Levin Newsday Jan 6, 2026
4/4
You don't have to be a journalist to appreciate this terrific movie. Go to Full Review
John Anderson Wall Street Journal Dec 29, 2025
“In case anybody cares,” he tells his directors at one point, “this is becoming less and less fun.” Speak for yourself. Go to Full Review
Milana Vujkov Lola On Film May 2, 2026
5/5
In a way, both Hersh and Poitras represent the best of America, being perfect avatars of its promise of liberty, and becoming the harshest critics of all the ways this experiment failed. Go to Full Review
Glenn Dunks reDocumented Apr 21, 2026
Thanks to the propulsive editing of Poitras, Amy Foote and Peter Bowman, deftly assembling a collage of archival footage, Hersh’s story and that of the scandals he broke and reported on has a distinctive heft to it. Go to Full Review
Erik Childress Movie Madness Podcast Apr 10, 2026
3.5/4
Between this and The Stringer there have been some essential films reminding us of the importance of journalism and having members of the press power through the BS to find the truth at all costs. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Michael A @RT04484069 6 hrs ago In the United States of America, we intrinsically know right from wrong. However, it takes the constant likes of Hersh to make sure this morality is passed down from generation to generation. See more Gareth V @geewah 6 days ago Absorbing, infuriating and deeply moving, with plenty to say about the cost of holding power accountable. See more Garry A @heavyg Sep 20, 2026 There were parts of this that were very interesting. I didn't know who Seymour Hersh was. But it is dry. See more Tom F @RT55173143 Aug 24, 2026 The complicated legacy of Seymour Hersh, made messier by Laura Poitras and her own baggage. See more Neil R @RT81738492 Mar 24, 2026 Worth the watch, Hersh is a very interesting journalist whom ended up getting a lot of stories right, but he also uses unnamed sources, that can't be corroborated or just plain second hand info. Which sometimes it's very understandable but like the case of his JFK book, it has some holes in the story but probably gets it mostly right, albeit from mostly second hand info. He's undoubtedly a great journalist but also feel he's very full of himself and will do anything to get the story rather it's true or not in some cases. He's an interesting fellow, but I feel like most people he's just as flawed. See more David F @dfulmer Mar 7, 2026 This is a really interesting documentary about the career of the journalist who uncovered numerous stories involving government and military corruption and atrocities. The filmmakers seem very interested in where and how Sy Hersch gets his anonymous sources and there is eventually an interview with one, showing how the sausage gets made. This is a time-spanning look at the importance of journalism and also a bit of a nostalgic look back at a time when newspapers played a really important role in society. See more Read all reviews
Cover-Up

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Movie Info

Synopsis Cover-Up is a political thriller that traces the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Urgent and deeply reported, Cover-Up is both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence and the cycles of impunity in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Drawing on exclusive access to Hersh’s notes, and interweaving primary documents and archival footage, Cover-Up captures the power and process of investigative journalism.
Director
Mark Obenhaus, Laura Poitras
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Praxis Films
Rating
R (Some Language)
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 5, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 26, 2025
Runtime
1h 57m
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