Cover-Up

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Cover-Up

R

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1h 57m

Documentary

History

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98%

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56 Reviews

80%

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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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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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Keith Uhlich

(All (Parentheses)) (Substack)

Jan 18

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.

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Robert Levin

Newsday

Jan 6

4/4

You don't have to be a journalist to appreciate this terrific movie.

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John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

Dec 29

“In case anybody cares,” he tells his directors at one point, “this is becoming less and less fun.” Speak for yourself.

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

2d

A

The movie reveals Hersh to be a fascinating character -- a resourceful, relentless pursuer of truth. It is also an exploration of his "process" for developing news stories. Everyone who calls himself a reporter should watch this movie.

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Louisa Moore

Screen Zealots

Jan 21

A sharp, unflinching look at the constant tug-of-war between truth and power, showing how systemic secrecy and self-preservation can rot the foundations of democracy.

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Dorothy Woodend

The Tyee (British Columbia)

Jan 12

It is fascinating to witness Poitras push Hersh on certain aspects of his life’s work, revealing one of the unsung heroes of the story, namely Elizabeth Sarah Klein, the journalist’s wife of over 60 years.

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Michael D

@MichaelX 1d

I watched Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus’ "Cover-Up" with my teeth clenched and a slow, inchoate anger building scene by scene. For anyone who still clings to the idea of America as a shining city on a hill, buoyed forever by its founding ideals, this superb documentary about legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh will help disabuse you of that illusion. Hersh exposed the lies behind the My Lai massacre during Vietnam and the horrors of Abu Ghraib during the Iraq War, work that fundamentally altered how power, war, and accountability are understood. He's an uneasy subject: prickly, evasive, uninterested in aggrandizement, preferring that the reporting speak for itself. Poitras, following her excellent Edward Snowden film, wisely steps back and lets the documents, sources, and consequences do the talking. In a just world, figures like Hersh would be memorialized and taught, while war criminals like Nixon and Kissinger would be disgraceful footnotes in the dustbin of history.

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Patrick C

@Minimus 1d

If you're going to make a movie that completely whitewashes the career of a lunatic conspiracy theorist, at least make it watchable...

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Johnzo f

@Johnzo 2d

Such an engaging and informative movie. Yes, we’ve heard of Woodward and Bernstein, but not really heard of Seymour Hersh. Say what you will of Kissinger, but to imagine the current attorney general having a private meeting with a young Hersh is inconceivable.

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Rachael C

@NurseRachael 2d

He’s a brilliant guy that doesn’t back down from the HARD STUFF, but his personality seems to really grind some people. I found him exceptionally engaging, honest and dedicated

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Judi L

@Solobarlady 5d

As Hersh said, we are a brutal people…no surprise playing out today

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Max M

@mandelbrot 5d

Well made. Bit boring.

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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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