THE WORLD IS WATCHING examines the unseen elements of news gathering, editing, and reportage that shaped our understanding of Nicaragua's Arias Peace Plan negotiations, and our understanding of the U.S. sponsored Contra war.

Who decided what was newsworthy, and how? Was the coverage wholly factual? Did correspondents report all they witnessed, or did editorial constraints, that they were forbidden to challenge, exist?

To answer these questions, THE WORLD IS WATCHING follows ABC's John Quinones in Managua while simultaneously recording editorial meetings with Peter Jennings and senior editors at the New York newsroom. The juxtaposition of the news gathering and news editing processes reveals how the business works, exposing the distortions that are an inevitable - sometimes intentional - part of the process.

Additionally, the film features journalists Randolph Ryan of the Boston Globe, Edith Coron of the Paris newspaper Liberation, and Newsweek photographer Bill Gentile who criticize their profession from within. They question the enormous pressures they face: the deadlines, the demand for sensationalism, and the editorial decisions made thousands of miles away by people who would never set foot in Nicaragua.

Focusing on this critical event in Central American and U.S. history, THE WORLD IS WATCHING demonstrates just how skeptical we should be when watching U.S. coverage of controversial foreign policy events.

"A brilliant piece of work, documentary-making of the highest order."—The Nation

"This documentary richly reveals compromising forces at work in the organizational processes of a network, as it aims for "objectivity" on an issue whose agenda was first set by the U.S. government. This provocative film will reward close study in journalistic and political contexts."—Library Journal

"Highly Recommended! **** [4 Stars]! Thought provoking!"—Video Rating Guide for Libraries