"The World is Watching" offers a thoughtful glimpse into the news media of the 1980's while covering Nicaragua contras, the violence against locals and the U. S. interference in all of that. A new technological era of information with news with satellites providing everything with a great speed but far from the internet greatness and that fact alone provides a great sense of curiosity on audiences, along with the issues brought by journalism ethics and editorial issues that can affect a report or the public perception over certain critical topics.
We follow closely a number of reporters and producers from major American networks, some foreign press as well, trying to get the best coverage possible of Nicaragua, the social/political turmoil of the time, when new negotiations were happening between rebels and political leaders, a referendum on U. S. policies on the country; and the poor population stood in between suffering all sort of problems and terrors. But the main issue is how the reporters cover the story and later how it's going to be presented on prime time news. Is there enough time for presentation? What's left intact or what's edited down or heavilly cut? Is it a fair and balanced view of issues and sides covered or bias get in the way? Or even is such news of public interest?
The documentary doesn't answer any of that but it tries. If today basically everything becomes news and most medias are perceived as fake and painfully directed towards spoon-feeding viewers and readers with formed opinions, back in the media TV was the major and biggest source, a different and more demanding tool on news people. Fact checking was the rule of rules, mistakes weren't made often, hardly ever a fake news was printed or broadcast - but it happened. When you make the comparison of time, progress and evolution of journalism you get a peculiar view of everything and how problematic things turn out to be when a new century arrived. Far from making na idealization of a perfect past, but that kind of effort and dedication from that generation seemed great, respectful and valuable, far from the polarization of left and right, and the explicit angry fights that comes with it.
Besides the small nostalgia views of a different era, "The World is Watching" makes us question the role of media, back in that coverage, if it informed people or if helped a cause in that Central America nation, or if at the end of the day a real sense of a good job done was accomplished or if the people in charge of approving the broadcasts were helpful or damaging. There's no way to avoid raising those issues, it's a constant thought you will find there. 8/10.
