“Spotlight” is an Academy Award winning movie about the molestation allegations against the Catholic Church.  The film is set in Boston and it follows members of an investigative team called Spotlight who work for the Boston Globe.  

    Beginning with a flashback, the central plot focuses on the way the Catholic Church sought to cover up any allegations made against priests.  As the journalists continued to work hard uncovering the truth, the scale of the scandal seemed to grow.  They began to realize that the epidemic was national–and even international–and that 6 percent of all priests had been accused of such acts.

    Mike Rezendes (played by Mark Ruffalo), one of the journalists on the Spotlight team, worked particularly hard to see that the story was published.  He had to struggle to gain access to public documents the Catholic Church did not want anyone to see.  To access said documents, Rezendes had to have a sit-down with a judge in his chambers.  He asserted that the documents were public.  The judge countered, “What is the editorial responsibility in publishing these records?”

    “What is the editorial responsibility in not?” Rezendes replied.  After this meeting, Rezendes still had to bribe the man working in records to allow him to photocopy the documents.  In viewing the documents, Rezendes realized that his fears about the scale of the corruption were affirmed.  He brought the records to his supervisor, who advised that they still needed more for a story.  

    Religion plays a large role throughout the film.  Many people refuse to speak out against the Catholic Church because of the large influence it has in the city of Boston.  The film so clearly demonstrates the issues journalists face tackling such sensitive subjects.  The Spotlight team members have to work tirelessly in pursuit of the truth.  They do what they believe is right, even if that means exposing the Church and facing the backlash that comes as a result of that.  Stories that bring about change are not easy to write, and the people who write them are nothing short of heroes.