Seymour Hersh Reflects on a Career of Exposing Government Secrets in Cover-Up

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Seymour Hersh, the renowned investigative journalist known for winning a Pulitzer Prize, is usually the one doing the interviewing. But now, at age 88, he’s the focus of a new Netflix documentary called Cover-Up, which will be released on December 26th.

Directed by Mark Obenhaus and Laura Poitras, the film celebrates the career of journalist Seymour Hersh, highlighting his work with the Associated Press, the New York Times, and The New Yorker. It focuses on the stories he broke exposing government secrets related to the Vietnam and Iraq Wars. Hersh opened up his decades of reporting files to the filmmakers, pausing his work on his Substack newsletter, and the film also features interviews with those who collaborated with him – his co-writers, editors, and fact-checkers – about how he approached his reporting.

Here’s what to know about the film. 

“Falling in love” with journalism

A Chicago native, Hersh grew up helping his dad run a laundry and dry cleaning business.

During his time at a community college, Hersh’s English teacher recognized his strong writing skills and encouraged him to apply to the University of Chicago.

While studying at the University of Chicago, he discovered the now-closed City News. He started as a mailroom clerk there and eventually became a police reporter, a job he grew to love, as he shares in the film.

Hersh believes the chaotic events and police response in Chicago served as a harsh introduction to investigating concealed wrongdoing, leading him to witness authoritarian behavior firsthand.

Examples of his influence

Seymour Hersh first gained prominence in 1969 when he investigated and revealed the My Lai Massacre, a horrific event where U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians, and the army attempted a cover-up. Paul Meadlo’s mother, Myrtle Meadlo of Indiana, poignantly told Hersh, “I sent them a good boy, and they made him a murderer.” This groundbreaking report fueled the anti-war movement and earned Hersh the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.

In 1974, his investigation for the New York Times revealed the CIA was spying on student groups. This led to the creation of both the Rockefeller Commission and the Church Committee, which then uncovered the agency’s secret and unlawful activities within the United States.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post are famous for their reporting on Watergate, but Seymour Hersh also played a key role. As co-director Mark Obenhaus explains, Hersh’s reporting showed that the people who broke into the Watergate Hotel – nicknamed “the plumbers” – continued to be paid even after they were charged with the crime. This suggested they were being funded by the Committee to Re-Elect the President, directly linking the scandal to the White House and the Republican Party.

Hersh’s sources

As a movie lover, I’m always fascinated by how great stories are uncovered, and Seymour Hersh was a master at it. A lot of his biggest scoops, like the My Lai Massacre, didn’t come from official sources. He’d get tips out of the blue, or just wander around the Pentagon as an AP reporter, building connections. He was a former Army reservist, which really helped – he’d chat with young officers about football, get them relaxed, and then subtly steer the conversation towards what was really going on. It was through these conversations that he first started hearing whispers about cover-ups within the military – some soldiers even described it as “murder incorporated,” and that’s what really sparked his investigations.

Throughout the documentary, he occasionally became frustrated when people neared a document revealing a confidential source. Co-director Laura Poitras explains, “He remained anxious throughout the entire process because protecting his sources was paramount.” She adds, “As a filmmaker, this highlights just how vital and serious the connection between a journalist and their source truly is.”

For the first time, viewers will hear from Camille Lo Sapio, a source who previously remained anonymous. She provided journalist Seymour Hersh with photographs documenting the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. Lo Sapio shared the photos with Hersh in a restaurant, using her daughter’s laptop – her daughter, while deployed, had received the images but wasn’t involved in the abuse. Lo Sapio remembers being hesitant to hand over the photos, fearing repercussions, but ultimately wanting the truth about the torture to be revealed.

Sapio explains that Hersh persuaded her to share the photos by stressing their global significance. As Hersh puts it in the documentary, “Without the photographs, there would have been no story.”

His support system

Seymour Hersh met his wife, Elizabeth Klein, a psychoanalyst, when they were both at the University of Chicago. Though she doesn’t appear in the documentary, Hersh shares how she supported him through some of his most challenging reporting assignments.

He credits his spouse with being a stabilizing force, helping him avoid discouragement when he struggled with his writing. ‘I married the right person who kept me from falling apart when my work wasn’t going well,’ he explains.

Covering the horrific events at My Lai, including the abuse of young children, deeply affected him, reminding him of his own toddler. He even called his wife, Liz, at one point, saying he was unable to continue reporting on the story.

While sobbing into a payphone, he was told the situation didn’t involve his family. He later remarked, “I’m so fortunate I married her.”

The takeaway

The documentary concludes with Hersh, at 88 years old, explaining his continued dedication to uncovering hidden truths. He’s still actively investigating cover-ups, working with editors and fact-checkers at Substack, because, as he puts it, a nation can’t operate like that. He describes this pursuit of truth as a lifelong mission, stating it’s “why I’ve been on a war path ever since.”

With journalists often facing false accusations of spreading misinformation, the creators of the film Cover-Up want to remind people and those who support journalism how important investigative reporting is. They also hope to encourage aspiring journalists to continue pursuing challenging stories.

According to Obenhaus, the film highlights how crucial investigative journalism is, and the need for reporters who question official statements and aren’t afraid to uncover hidden truths.

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2025-12-19 18:07