Truth Page #2

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DAN:

I was receiving an award, you know.

MARY:

You don't say.

DAN:

For a "Lifetime of Achievement".

MARY:

So it's pretty much all downhill

from here, then?

DAN:

Brother, you ain't kidding.

(pause; then)

We are going to run it, right?

MARY:

I'm going to start hurting you people

soon, I swear to God

8.

DAN:

I'm just saying, I've already done

cut-ins for it. We kill it now, we

look like fools.

MARY:

Not that that's stopped us before.

(crossing the street)

They're worried about the Superbowl-Andrew

thinks the FCC may fine Viacom

per station.

DAN:

So the CBS News division has to tread

softly because of Janet Jackson's

left breast?

MARY:

We're about to go on national

television and accuse the U.S.

Military of committing atrocities

while hip deep in two wars during an

election year.

(pause)

But yes, mostly I think they're

worried about the boob thing.

INT. HOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT

Set up for an INTERVIEW. A TV CREW waits with a GENERAL

seated in a chair. Mary and Dan enter.

MARY:

General? This is Dan Rather.

Dan sits opposite him, pulling the NOTEPAD from his pocket...

DAN:

General, thank you for doing this.

Let's start from the beginning...

...And now we see it's FULL OF QUESTIONS for the interview.

INT. BROADCAST BOOTH -- EVENING

A SERIES OF QUICK SHOTS - Anonymous hands turning knobs,

balancing color bars. Slotting video tapes into machines.

We see a MACRO of tapeheads sliding the magnetic tape into

place, spooling it through the machine...

9.

INT. 60 MINUTES OFFICES -- BULLPEN -- NIGHT

The clock on the wall reads 8:00. We hear the familiar 60

MINUTES STOPWATCH. Colonel Charles, Dana, and others sit

watching

ON TV - THE 60 MINUTES BROADCAST

The image of an IRAQI MAN standing on a box WEARING A HOOD.

Electrodes run to his body. OVER THIS:

DAN (V.O.)

Americans did this to an Iraqi

prisoner. According to the US Army,

the man was told to stand on a box

with his head covered with wires

attached to his hands. He was told

that if he fell off the box, he would

be electrocuted.

CUT TO Dan, addressing the camera:

DAN (V.O.) (CONT'D)

It was this picture and dozens of

others that prompted an investigation

by the U.S. Army. Yesterday, we

asked General Mark Kimmitt, deputy

director of Coalition Operations in

Iraq, what went wrong.

INT. 60 MINUTES -- MARY'S OFFICE-- NIGHT

And finally to Mary, watching her story come out...

GENERAL KIMMITT:

Frankly, I think all of us are

disappointed at the actions of the

few. You know, every day we love

our soldiers, but frankly, some days

we're not always proud of our

soldiers.

DAN (V.O.)

Abu Ghraib under Saddam Hussein was

infamous. For decades, many who

were taken here never came out...

INT. PIERRE HOTEL BAR -- NIGHT

Ice cubes crackle. A piano plays softly. TV over the bar:

10.

NEWCASTER (O.S.)

...CBS's bombshell allegations this

evening that prisoner abuse occurred

at the Abu Ghraib facility...

A few feet away, Mary, Colonel Charles, Dana and Dan sit a

table celebrating. Happily drunk.

DANA ROBERSON:

I remember when you used to say

"Courage" at the end of every

broadcast. You remember that?

(off Dan's nod)

Why'd you stop?

MARY:

They made fun of him.

DANA ROBERSON:

No!

DAN:

(mock wounded)

They did. Me. Can you believe it?

COLONEL CHARLES:

Apparently they thought times back

then weren't grave enough to warrant

such a sign off.

MARY:

Give us a "Courage", Dan.

DAN:

I don't think-

MARY:

Come on, just one. For me?

A beat. Dan leans forward. In his best newscaster baritone:

DAN:

Courage.

The others break up laughing. Dan smiles. Raises a toast.

DAN (CONT'D)

To a hell of a story.

11.

MARY:

Once they finally ran it.

(raises her glass)

F.E.A.

Laughter as they clink and drink, as above the TV continues

to blare coverage of their story...

EXT. MARY'S HOUSE -- ESTABLISHING -- NIGHT

SUPERIMPOSE -Dallas, Texas. An inviting two story Craftsman

with a big front porch.

ROBERT (O.S.)

We're sitting here with Mommy. Thank

you for being here Mommy.

INT. MARY'S HOUSE -- LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT

Mary's son ROBERT (7) holds a portable video camera. Mary

sits across from him as he conducts an interview with her.

MARY:

Thank you for having me.

Robert nods, all business.

ROBERT:

Mommy, you were away for a long time

again. What were you doing?

MARY:

I was in New York working on the

news.

ROBERT:

And what does that entail?

Mary raises an eyebrow at her son's vocabulary.

MARY:

Asking questions. Questions help

reporters get to the truth.

ROBERT:

Interesting. Are there any questions

you shouldn't ask?

MARY:

No. Never. Why would you say that?

12.

ROBERT:

My friend Louis's Dad says reporters

ask too many questions.

MARY:

I'd be curious to know what your

friend Louis's Dad thinks we should

do with our time instead.

ROBERT:

Were you with the men with the

cameras?

MARY:

Yes.

ROBERT:

Interesting. Can I have a new camera?

MARY:

We'll have to talk to your father

about it for Christmas.

ROBERT:

I'm trying to get to the truth here,

Mommy. Answer the question.

Mary smiles.

MARY:

This interview is over.

INT. MARY'S HOME OFFICE -- NIGHT

Cluttered with papers. A LARGE TELEVISION above her desk.

CNN yammering about Abu Ghraib.

PANELIST:

...can't deny that Abu Ghraib is an

enormous black eye for the Bush

Administration just as John Kerry is

emerging as a real challenger in the

Presidential Election...

Mary's husband MARK WROLSTAD appears in the doorway. Nods

to the TV coverage.

WROLSTAD:

Caused a bit of a ruckus, didn't

you?

13.

MARY:

(smiles)

Who me?

She clicks on her email. One from Mike Smith.

I've been a bad boy. Have some tasty brisket for you.

-Mike

WROLSTAD:

You wanna go for a walk?

Mary stares at the screen.

MARY:

I think I have to work...

CUT TO:

INT. JOSH HOWARD'S OFFICE -- MORNING

A SERIES OF SHOTS - Furniture being unwrapped. Boxes being

unpacked. An Oriental Rug being spread on the floor. A

LINE OF EMMYS being placed one by one on a bookshelf.

As the last one is put down by JOSH HOWARD, (late 30's,

mustache). Looks around the office. He's made it.

INT. 60 MINUTES OFFICES -- HALLWAYS -- MORNING

Josh strides down the hall with MARY MURPHY, (30's, brunette)

his right hand.

JOSH:

What's she like?

MURPHY:

Good. Fast. She's Rather's gal.

(pause)

Makes twice as much as either of us.

JOSH (O.S.)

Thanks for coming in, Mary...

INT. JOSH HOWARD'S OFFICE -- DAY

Mary smiles as she enters Josh's office and shakes his hand.

MARY:

Not at all, I'm excited to get going.

14.

SUPERIMPOSE -June 2004

Josh smiles back and nods to Murphy next to him.

JOSH:

As are we. You know Mary Murphy.

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