A very interesting movie which provides insights into the events of
Jeffrey Wigand, former vice president of scientific research at Brown & Williamson Tobacco. Brown & Williamson was the third largest tobacco operations in the US holding about 10% of the US cigarette market. Its brands included Kool, Lucky Strike, and GPC. In 2004 it merged with R.J. Reynolds. Wigand gets fired for "poor communication skills" after internally raising concerns about the company's use of chemicals such as ammonia and known carcinogenic substances to heighten the effect of nicotine in cigarettes, a practice referred to as "impact boosting". After being fired Wigand started to talk with Lowell Bergman a producer for the CBS News show 60 Minutes. Wigand is attacked with an array of measures including a lawsuit and death threats warning him to shut up. The actions of Brown & Williamson against Wigand is foreseeable. What was truly an eye opening and unexpected revelation is the movie's look into the debate and process of self-censorship which the 60 Minutes organization was going through internally. The movie reveals how the pending Westinghouse CBS merger influenced CBS attorneys to advise against airing the full Wigand interview, resulting in the self-censored version which was aired on November 12, 1995. It reveals how even in a democracy, vested interests can result in censorship of what is often believed to be the free press. The movie's portrayal of
Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes shows a reporter who caves into pressure, choosing to follow the corporate line.
