For Droga5 and the New York Times’ new films, the truth is worth it

If it feels like we mention The New York Times frequently on It’s Nice That, it is because we do. And with good reason: in a period of increasing instability, uncertainty, and anxiety, trustworthy sources of information become crucial. The Times know how to report a story, how to tell a story, and happily for us, how to present a story, too.

This has only continued in recent months as the paper has been working with American agency Droga5 on The Truth is Worth It, a series of investigative films which interrogate and investigate the world around us here in the 21st century.

Today sees the launch of two brand new documentaries that have arisen out of the partnership. The first, Resolve, follows journalist as she reveals cracks in the official government narrative about what happened to the Rohingya in Myanmar, and Courage looks at how the Mexican government used spyware to silence both journalists and critics of the government.

Droga5 says the films in question “examine the dangerous trends, both new and old, in government censorship and how these trends are becoming more and more common due to the impunity and lack of consequences that governments feel," also adding that, “by pursuing the truth in this new landscape (particularly ‘on-the-ground’ internationally) journalists are put in life-threatening situations in pursuit of the truth.”

“The notion of truth is more important now more than ever,” adds creative directors at Droga5 Laurie Howell and Toby Treyer-Evans. “We’re living in a time when the truth is constantly being disrespected, ignored, twisted or simply changed altogether. It’s harder to find. It’s harder to filter out the fake stuff, and it’s harder than ever to determine where to go to get the truth.”

But as both Resolve and Courage present, “Not only is the truth itself in danger – sometimes the same is true for those who are reporting it,” continue the creative directors. "This work looks to bring to life the stories of The New York Times journalists who work hard to find the truth is and spend their time diligently, hunting it down to bring it back to us in their reporting, just so we can understand the world a bit better.”