- This is POV .
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of Wisconsin Public Television's
Director's Cut .
Tonight we bring you a political thriller.
Kimberly Reed's Dark Money examines what many perceive
to be the greatest threat to our American democracy,
the influence of untraceable corporate money
on our elections and elected officials.
The story is set ironically in the "Treasure State," Montana.
Although sparsely populated, Montana finds itself
at the epicenter in the fight against dark money.
Reed's leading actor and focus of this story
is investigative reporter John Adams.
Yes that is his real name and no he is not related.
Adams is a Wisconsin native and graduate of UW-Stevens Point.
He's now a Montana journalist and crusader for
independent, credible reporting in the age of fake news.
Adams follows the money which leads him to court and
one of the more thrilling scenes in Reed's gripping documentary.
Kimberly Reed has had her work featured on
The Oprah Winfrey Show , CNN, Netflix, and NPR .
She was one of Filmmaker magazine's
25 new faces of independent film.
Reed says her interest in the subject of dark money
traces back to
the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision.
Reed surmises that the idea that 'corporations are people'
and 'money is speech' are ludicrous
and found that many people from both sides of the aisle
agreed with her.
Enter the state of Montana which has-- a pardon the pun--
rich history with corrupt political contributions
dating back a hundred years,
but is also leading the fight to limit such donations.
It's an old-fashioned political thriller.
Dark Money starts now on Wisconsin Public Television,
your home for independent film.