Deadline Premiers at the Newseum

For film, romance in the middle of investigative reporting

As a reporter for the Charlotte Observer, Mark Etheridge won the Pulitzer Prize for his story of the  racially motivated, senseless murder of a young black male which went unsolved for 13 years until Etheridge began his investigative series.

Talley and Roberts

Later, Etheridge rewrote the story as a novel called Grievances. Now the news series/novel has been turned into a motion picture entitled Deadline, a film which stars Andrew Talley and Eric Roberts and received its world premier at the Newseum tonight.

"We hope this film shows why daily newspapers and investigative reporting are still important today," Etheridge said in remarks following the initial showing. "We are pleased to show the film at this iconic place for journalism and investigative reporting."

The Pulitzer-Prize winner said that several detail changes were made for the movie. Some were made for cinematic impact. For example, the actual person who tipped Etheridge to the original story was a 30-year-old white male; in the movie that character is an idealistic 21-year-old daughter of an established Southern family. Some changes were for reasons of economy. Since it was cheaper to film in Tennessee, Etheridge (in the film his character is called Matt Harper) worked for a fictional Nashville paper and the murder took place in small-town Alabama.

"There's a line is the film that talks about the difference between facts and the truth. The truth is still there. The truth is an African-American male was murdered as he was walking home for no reason other than the color of his skin," Etheridge said.

Director Kurt Hahn, who joined Etheridge for the post-film discussion, said that while the film is certainly an American southern story "it resonates around the world."

"Unfortunately, these things still go on today," he added, noting recent cases of racially motivated murders in Mississippi and London, England.

Etheridge said the road to the film was not easy. When he first wanted to write the story, he had to convince his bottom-line minded  publisher that the story was worthwhile, even if it didn't take place in the readership area of the paper. As for the novel, Etheridge received 19 rejections before he found a publisher. Jokingly, Etheridge claims the background story of the print to book to movie tale may have a special resonance for reporters.

"As a reporter, you're always worried about the nut cases that show up claiming they have a story. Well listen to them. Sometimes they are right," he said.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Hahn and Etheridge have a unique way to promote Deadline. They said they will be joined by some members of the cast on a Deadline tour bus, which will travel to 42 cities where local newspapers will host a screening for the film.  That tour will begin in Nashville in February and wind its way around the country. The pair said it will be sort of like a rock and roll tour. "The drugs will be different," Etheridge said with a smile. "We'll have Advil and Flomax." "But we still don't like the green M&Ms," Hahn added.