Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes
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TRUE-ISH Geoghan was accused of molestation several times & was moved around the parishes, & sent to a paedophile treatment centre. His behaviour was covered up by the church & his victims' families told to keep quiet. The police were involved, although details are unclear. Wikipedia: John Geoghan Indiewire
We don't know if a reporter retired in 2001. We don't know if a reporter retired in 2001. -
TRUE A new editor, Marty Baron, was hired from the Miami Herald in 2001. Poynter
FALSE The director chose to play on the insider/outsider dynamic, putting tension between the Bostonians & new guy Baron. In reality, Baron was accepted just fine, & respected by Robinson, Bradlee etc. Fast Company
TRUE Bradlee & Robinson worked closely together, & were curious to see what outsider Baron would bring. Fast Company
FALSE-ISH There were several meetings between Baron & the staff although there wasn't the tension between them as shown in the movie. Fast Company
TRUE Baron's interest was peaked by McNamara's column, published the week before he started at The Globe, that reported Garabedian's accusation that Law had known about Geoghan's behaviour. Baron likely sat down with her about the piece. The New Yorker
TRUE Baron put the Spotlight team on the Geoghan story on his very first day as editor in 2001. The documents relating to the case were under a confidentiality seal granted to church lawyers. Poynter Boston Globe
TRUE Baron put the team on the Geoghan case on his first day. The New Yorker
TRUE Spotlight had just finished a big story & were considering what to take on next when Baron asked them to do some digging on Geoghan, see if there was a bigger story there. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE The team split up possible witnesses so that each reporter had their own set of people to interview. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Pfeiffer's grandmother was a devout catholic. She always carried a rosary, & despite the revelations, attended church until the day she died. The New Yorker
TRUE The team went through loads of old clips during their research. Indie Wire
FALSE-ISH It's unclear whether Baron literally got lost in the Globe offices, but that scene represents his outsiderness - 'I knew virtually nobody at the paper & virtually nobody in town', he states. The New Yorker
TRUE After getting 50/50 odds from the Globe's lawyer on their chances of winning the suit, Baron asked publisher Gilman to approve them going to court. He tentatively agreed it was the right thing to do. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Garabedian represented most of the victims. The office was shabby & didn't have a receptionist, Garabedian wasn't well-known or well-off. Boston Globe The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Spotlight did meet with Macleish. Garabedian ran a single-attorney law firm dealing exclusively with victims of sexual abuse. He has been praised as the quintessential little guy singlehandedly taking on the Catholic Church. He was always up against it. Chicago Sun Times Chicago Sun Times
TRUE Garabedian was suspicious of The Globe, thought they were controlled by the church, or that they might publish a sensational story that would exploit his clients without helping them. He watched Rezendes interview his clients for days before he came around. The Independent The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Searching through old clips was part of the process. CBS News
FALSE Spotlight turned to SNAP for help tracking down victims. Through this national organisation they found victims, & some of their lawyers, who put them in touch with further victims & so on. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Bradlee was known for being a bulldog, & wanted things done right. He was a major baseball fan, & spent ten years writing a biography of Ted Williams, so he was at a lot of Fenway Park games. Wikipedia: Ben Bradlee Jr. Boston.com
FALSE-ISH Sullivan was a composite character, representing 6 lawyers the Spotlight team consulted. We don't have details of their conversations. Freetimes Fast Company
TRUE The filmmakers did some serious digging into the mundane aspects of the reporters' real lives, they went after authenticity in a big way. CBS News
TRUE Bradlee & others were concerned about the impact of the story on the readership. Circulation was declining anyway & publishing a huge scandal about the church could alienate The Globe's Catholic readership. In the end they decided it was too important not to go ahead. The Journalism School, Columbia University
FALSE-ISH Baron did visit Law's residence as part of meeting people in the community. They mostly talked about the Middle East. The meeting wasn't as meaningful as it's portrayed in the film, though. Law did give Baron a gift of sorts. The New Yorker
TRUE-ISH As Baron left the meeting Law took a copy of the Catechism from his shelf & handed it to him. It wasn't wrapped or anything. The New Yorker
TRUE Saviano did talk extensively with the Spotlight team. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Saviano sent all the information he had to The Globe 5 years previously, but little happened. Although he has said he doesn't remember being as angry as he is portrayed to be, friends of his from the time have told him yeah, you were pretty angry back then. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Saviano & his organisation SNAP were committed to stopping child-abuse by priests, so he had a significant agenda. Still, he was informed & had a lot of contacts. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Garabedian was concerned that The Globe would exploit his clients for a good story. Eventually Rezendes persuaded him that giving them a voice mattered. Rezendes has described his role as 'schmoozing' Garabedian. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Pfeiffer did interview Joe Crowley. CBS News
TRUE Patrick McSorely was abused by Father Geoghan. He told his story to the Spotlight team. Boston Globe
TRUE Joe Crowley was abused by Father Shanley. Pfeiffer did press for specifics, she felt 'molest' was too clinical a word. Boston Globe New Yorker
TRUE Geoghan visited McSorely's home after his father died to offer condolences. He offered to take McSorely, then 12, for ice cream. He molested McSorely in the car & told him to keep it secret. McSorely struggled with substance abuse & depression & died aged 29. Boston Globe
TRUE Crowley struggled with alcohol abuse for years after being raped by Father Shanley & abused by him & others. The day Shanley was convicted was the day Crowley reached his 9th year of sobriety. Boston Globe
TRUE Many of the abuse victims killed themselves, or tried to. McSorely died at 29 two years after the story was published. The cause of death wasn't released, but suspected to be an overdose. The Journalism School, Columbia University Boston.com
TRUE Pfeiffer was very thorough, & followed up for details. Unclear whether Crowley spoke to Macleish about his case, but Crowley has praised the film's accuracy, so it's likely true. Boston Globe Fast Company
TRUE Judge Sweeney did agree to hear on the sealed documents motion. Boston Globe
TRUE The archdiocese settled around 50 lawsuits against Geoghan between 1997 & 2002. Boston Globe
TRUE Bradlee was nervous about the whole thing, but agreed to expanding the investigation. Fast Company
TRUE Richard Sipe, a former monk-priest, worked at a treatment centre for paedophile priests. He was a qualified psychotherapist who conducted a major study into the issue of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. He cooperated with The Globe's investigation. Wikipedia: Richard Sipe
TRUE The team were trying to figure out how they could track down every priest who had been accused of abuse. Fast Company
TRUE The Globe had thousands of pages of parish directories in their library. Fast Company
TRUE The Catholic Church repeatedly tried to discredit Sipe & his research. Wikipedia: Richard Sipe
TRUE They found that several of the priests accused of abuse had been designated statuses like 'sick leave', 'awaiting assignment' etc. It raised suspicions. WBUR
TRUE The archdiocese settled around 50 lawsuits against Geoghan between 1997 & 2002. No documents relating to these cases were made public. Boston Globe
TRUE Robinson sat down with MacLeish to question him on the settlements. Indie Wire
TRUE At this point they thought 12 or 13 priests was the height of the story. The Journalism School, Columbia University
FALSE Conley was a fabricated person, a 'fixer' for the church who represented the various people involved in covering up for abusive priests. Boston Globe
TRUE Robinson did go to BC High & was an important alumnus. Boston College High School
TRUE Garabedian continues to assert that it takes a village to abuse a child. The Independent
FALSE-ISH Sullivan was a composite character, representing 6 lawyers the Spotlight team consulted. We don't have details of their conversations. Freetimes
TRUE They found that several of the priests accused of abuse had been designated statuses like 'sick leave', 'awaiting assignment' etc. It raised suspicions. WBUR
TRUE 6% is in line with the paeodophile figures in the general population, & was the figure Sipe suggested, yet 10% of priests in the Boston archdiocese were accused of molesting children. A report predicted paedophilia would cost the church $1bn. History vs. Hollywood The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE The Spotlight team decided to speak to as many victims as possible, hoping to identify the names of the 90 or so priests they now expected to have committed sexual abuse. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Robinson came up with this idea in a lightbulb moment. They took note of various 'on-the-shelf' designations. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE The team searched through 17 years' worth of parish directories. They describe it as incredibly tedious, like reading thousands of pages from the phone book. It took them 3 weeks. The Journalism School, Columbia University
FALSE-ISH The church used a house in Milton to house 'on-the-shelf' priests. It was only a quarter-mile from Robinson's house (not Carroll's). The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Carroll was a data guy. He set up a spreadsheet, where all priests with suspicious designations in the parish directories were collated. They had 87 to follow up on at this stage. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
FALSE-ISH Sullivan was a composite character, representing 6 lawyers the Spotlight team consulted. We don't have details of their conversations. Freetimes
FALSE-ISH Robinson did speak with MacLeish about the story. MacLeish refusing to see them isn't on the record, though. Fast Company
FALSE-ISH The team did talk to MacLeish about the story, but it was the filmmakers who discovered that MacLeish had sent a list of names to The Globe when they came across some clips & spoke to MacLeish themselves. Fast Company
TRUE Rezendes spoke at length to Richard Sipe, who warned them about the power of the church. Wikipedia: Richard Sipe
TRUE Team members met frequently, they worked around the clock. They were all distressed by what they uncovered. Robinson's wife, a nurse, thought they all had PTSD. Fast Company
TRUE-ISH We don't know if this conversation happened in this way, but the reporters have talked about their feelings of guilt around not questioning the church sooner. Fast Company
TRUE Baron didn't want just individual abuse stories reported, he wanted the systemic cover-up exposed - he thought that approach would have the best chance of affecting change. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
FALSE The church used a house in Milton to house 'on-the-shelf' priests. It was only a quarter-mile from Robinson's house (not Carroll's). The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE The team had doors slammed in their faces, calls cut. Many more were amenable, though. Indie Wire
TRUE-ISH Paquin did admit his crimes to Pfeiffer when she interviewed him. He 'fooled around' with boys for 15yrs. He was raped by a Catholic priest himself as a teen. However, it wasn't a doorstep confession. He admitted his crimes across 2 interviews. History vs. Hollywood Fast Company
FALSE No record of Paquin's sister being involved like this. Paquin was interviewed twice & was cooperative. Fast Company
TRUE-ISH The Globe did go to court to get the full set of documents relating to abuse cases against priests undealed. The court session was so under-the-radar that Rezendes was the only journalist who attended. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE There were numerous abuse cases at BC High, the school Robinson went to. Boston Globe
TRUE Garabedian came under fire from the church, who took every opportunity to weaken his case against them. Boston Globe
TRUE Garabedian had filed documents as part of motions that then became public. Out of fear of the church's retribution he didn't leak them to the press, just hoped a reporter would find them. When by August 2001 this hadn't happened, he tipped off Rezendes. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Garabedian had filed 14 sets of documents, all were missing from the docket file at the courthouse. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Globe attorney Anthony Fuller asked Judge Sweeney to order the documents re-filed. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE The attacks delayed the Spotlight team's research & the story's publication for 8 weeks. Fast Company
TRUE The Globe had a special interest in the 9/11 story, since the flights that hit the Trade Center had originated in Boston. They were super busy with it, & it worried the Spotlight team that they had to put their story aside. The Journalism School, Columbia University
FALSE-ISH There was concern that other papers would access the documents before Spotlight were ready to print their story, but Rezendes didn't ask Garabedian to delay. The documents were sent to him in Florida. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris Fast Company
TRUE-ISH Saviano didn't have that meeting with Pfeiffer in a restaurant, but he did write a letter to the Globe, complaining about the 8-week 9/11 delay. The Daily Mail
FALSE-ISH Garabedian did re-file the documents, but it wasn't this dramatic. Rezendes had Globe attorney Fuller send the documents to him by courier while he was in Florida. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
FALSE-ISH Robinson was editor of the section that had published that clip years before. However, this scene where Pfeiffer hands him the piece didn't happen. Fast Company
FALSE-ISH Carroll was weighed down by it all, the whole team struggled emotionally with the story. He didn't have a picture of the treatment centre on his fridge though, & besides, it wasn't down the road from him but from Robinson. Fast Company The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Kevin (real name Jim Scanlan) had never told anybody about Father Talbot's abuse before he spoke to Robinson. Recovered Memory Project, Brown University
FALSE Rezendes didn't get the documents direct from the courthouse. Rather, the Globe's attorney got copies sent to Rezendes by courier. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE-ISH This meeting did happen, although Conley wasn't a real person. Dunn has spoken out against his characterisation in the film. He claims he never tried to minimise the victims' suffering or cover up the abuse. However, he did say they didn't know anything. Boston Globe
TRUE-ISH Conley wasn't a real person, & Dunn has called out the filmmakers for portraying him as a bad guy. Still, Spotlight suspected BC High, along with the police, lawmakers, politicians etc of covering for the Catholic Church. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Judge Volterra did question The Globe's motives, asserting that these were sensitive documents. Rezendes argued that they would be handled responsibly. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
FALSE This didn't happen, & the real Rezendes has said he wouldn't have forked out over $80 to use a copier. Poynter
TRUE A letter from Bishop John D'Arcy to Cardinal Law, written in 1984 after Law had reassigned Geoghan, proved that Law knew about Geoghan's abuse of young boys. D'Arcy objected to Law's decision because of Geoghan's known history. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Bishop D'Arcy wrote in protest at Geoghan's reassignment to Weston. He suggested Geoghan work only weekends while receiving therapy. Boston Globe
TRUE-ISH The Spotlight team debated whether to publish the documents they got from Garabedian right away, or to wait until they had the full story. Waiting made Rezendes nervous, but he didn't blow up over it. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Pfeiffer found the story emotionally taxing, particularly interviewing one abuse victim after another. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
TRUE Rezendes was a lapsed Catholic, but had thought that he would go back to the church some day. Following his discoveries about the abuse cover-ups, he couldn't even consider going back, it was 'too shattering'. History vs. Hollywood
FALSE Conley was a fabricated person, a 'fixer' for the church who represented the various people involved in covering up for abusive priests. Boston Globe
TRUE Judge Constance M. Sweeney ordered the documents be made public. Boston Globe
TRUE The archdiocese appealed to the state Appeals Court, arguing that the public shouldn't have access to info about the church's inner workings. The appeal was denied. Boston Globe
TRUE The Spotlight team debated whether to publish the documents they got from Garabedian right away, or to wait until they had the full story. They decided they wanted to present a comprehensive picture of the scandal to debute the series, so they waited. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE They were getting the article drafted throughout December, & had been asking Law for a quote since mid-month. Boston Globe
TRUE The team worked around the clock to get all the threads of the story together in time for their new year publication date. Carroll described himself at the time as a 'puddle' - exhausted. Fast Company
FALSE-ISH Sullivan was a composite character, representing 6 lawyers the Spotlight team consulted. We don't have details of their conversations. Freetimes
TRUE The Globe requested interviews with Law several times between Dec 2001 & publishing their story in Jan 2002. At the last minute, Law's PR person called back. Boston Globe
TRUE The Globe requested interviews with Law several times between Dec 2001 & publishing their story in Jan 2002. He would not even accept questions in writing, & claimed to have no interest in what they might be. Boston Globe
TRUE-ISH It was the beginning of the online age when The Globe broke the story, so posting links to evidence was still pretty novel. Data geek Matt Carroll knew how to do stuff like that. Sullivan was a composite character, representing 6 lawyers. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE-ISH The dept. that published the story Macleish handed them in 1993 was run by Robinson at the time. Come 2012, when the film was being made, the director brought this up after doing some digging. Robinson had no memory of that particular story. Fast Company
TRUE Law did call Baron, told him he had no comment. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Thousands of copies were printed. Circulation was over 800,000 for the Sunday paper. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE Pfeiffer's grandmother was 'shocked & saddened' by the revelations. She stuck with the church until her death, though. The New Yorker
TRUE Several victims sought Garabedian out for help following the Globe's publication of the story. The woman shown might have represented one such client, Ms. MacPherson, who was raped & abused by a priest from the age of 4. She now has two children. The Independent
FALSE Robinson isn't on record saying he literally watched the trucks roll out. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism (2007) by Roy J. Harris
FALSE-ISH Church allowed abuse by priest for years' was the heading of the breaking story. Many others followed. There was a treament centre near Robinson's apartment, but not near Carroll's. Whether Carroll, or Robinson, dropped a paper off there isn't on record. Boston Globe The Journalism School, Columbia University
FALSE-ISH Although he wasn't writing a novel, Carroll, along with Globe colleagues, wrote a book about the paedophilia in the Catholic Church, published the same year as the Globe story. It's been described as a horror. Boston Globe
TRUE They were there around the clock, fully invested in the story & reactions to it. Fast Company
TRUE The team were surprised by the lack of backlash. They put it down to the quality of the evidence they used, the fact that they were able to link readers to copies of genuine letters from bishops etc. The tipline was busy with victims calling in, though. The Journalism School, Columbia University
TRUE The Spotlight team interviewed 30 or 40 victims during their research. Once the story broke, a further 300 from the Boston archdiocese reported being abused as children. History vs. Hollywood
TRUE The Globe worked solidly on the story for around a year & a half, publishing everything they found. Fast Company
TRUE 249 priests molested children in Boston over several decades. The church shuffled these priests from parish to parish to cover up their crimes. History vs. Hollywood
TRUE The Vatican gave Law a distinguished post in Rome in 2002 after public outrage & a petition by 58 priests demanded he resign. The New Yorker
TRUE In 2014 the Vatican said it had defrocked 848 priests worldwide for sexual abuse between 2004 & 2013 alone, & 2572 clerics had been disciplined for abuse violations. The New Yorker
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Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes