Truth Be Told

In continuing their shared dedication to truth, and giving flowers to those that seek it, Rolling Stone and Variety will hold their annual Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Showtime Documentary Films, on August 2, 2023, in New York City. Celebrating the art of documentary and investigative storytelling across all platforms–from podcasts to newscasts to film–the event will have keynote and panel discussions with the leading documentary filmmakers, journalists and cultural trendsetters whose passion for authenticity has a lasting impact and effects change.

Headlining the Summit will be Rachel Maddow, host of the three-time Emmy Award-winning The Rachel Maddow Show, whose tireless work in journalism, which includes in-depth analysis of current events, will be deservedly honored. Exploring creative trends in documentary filmmaking, seasoned documentarian and producer Liz Garbus (Harry & Meghan, Bobby Fischer Against the World) will lead a panel discussion alongside Dan Cogan, Sam Pollard and Lisa Cortes. Dawn Porter, who helms the Showtime docuseries Supreme will also be a featured speaker as she talks about her experience executive producing the series, which explores and details the history of the Supreme Court. Rolling Stone Editor-In-Chief Noah Shachtman will put on his moderating hat as he holds a Washington political roundtable featuring MSNBC Political Analyst and host of The Mehdi Hasan Show, Mehdi Hasan, PBS NewsHour’s White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López, ABC News’ Washington Correspondent Mary Bruce, and Chief Campaign and Election Correspondent for CBS News, Robert Costa. Lastly, Roy Wood, Jr., comedian and correspondent for The Daily Show, will be a part of a keynote discussion about his use of comedy when engaging audiences when tackling serious cultural and societal topics.
Additional programming and information will be announced in the coming weeks. Registration for the Summit is free, but for those who can’t attend the summer event, virtual access—which includes networking chatrooms and on-demand access to panel and keynote conversations—will be available. Variety and Rolling Stone will also create a special digital feature that expands on Truth Seekers’ theme with original and archival stories that bring the truth to light. At the Truth Seekers Summit presented by Showtime, “the conversation starts here.”

Registration for the live stream is free but required for access. Register here.