The Truth Seekers Summit Celebrates its 5th Year with Jake Tapper

Amidst a turbulent year of sociocultural and political strife, Variety and Rolling Stone have announced the lineup for the fifth annual Truth Seekers Summit, a daylong event on Aug. 14 in New York, spotlighting the most influential voices shaping the future of news, documentaries and cultural commentary. Held in partnership with Paramount+, the gathering brings together today’s most fearless journalists, trailblazing documentarians, and headline-making talent for dynamic conversations on truth, storytelling and impact. 

Jake Tapper, CNN anchor, Chief Washington Correspondent and co-author of New York Times Best-Selling book ‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again‘ will be honored with this year’s Truth Seekers Award for his accomplished work in journalism and will participate in a Q&A about his career achievements. 

Tapper joined CNN in 2013 and currently anchors the two-time Emmy award-winning weekday program, ‘The Lead with Jake Tapper,’ and CNN’s Sunday morning show, ‘State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.‘  Most recently, Tapper played a leading role in CNN’s coverage of the unprecedented 2024 election cycle, moderating the network’s historic Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Tapper was also at the forefront of CNN’s expansive special coverage of the Democratic National Convention, Republican National Convention, and led CNN’s 2024 Election Night in America coverage. 

A keynote conversation for ‘Room to Move‘ will feature executive producer Amy Schumer and director Alexander Hammer taking the audience behind the scenes of the powerful documentary with subject Jenn Freeman. Exploring autism through the lens of dance, the documentary aims to destigmatize neurodivergence. 

Ronny Chieng, Stand Up Comedian and Emmy-Winning Correspondent of ‘The Daily Show’ will speak about his approach to crafting political humor for broad audiences.  

‘Have I Got News For You’ hosts Amber Ruffin and Roy Wood Jr. will also participate in a keynote conversation dissecting the nuances of comedy in cultural commentary, especially given the relentless news cycle since January of this year.  

The Documentary Roundtable will explore the importance of nonfiction storytelling, including the process of making them. Filmmakers will explore the intent behind their creative choices, as well as navigating the ethical challenges that inevitably come up. The roundtable will feature R.J. Cutler, Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning filmmaker, ‘Martha,’ ‘Elton John: Never Too Late‘; Bao Nguyen, Emmy and Grammy nominated filmmaker, ‘The Greatest Night in Pop’ & ‘The Stringer’; Elegance Bratton, director, producer & writer, ‘Move Ya Body: The Birth of House’; Mary Robertson, executive producer, ‘The Fall of Diddy’ & founder, Maxine Productions; Jennifer Tiexiera, director & producer, ‘Rebecca,‘ ‘Speak.‘ and Dan Krauss, director, ‘Bodyguard of Lies’. 

A conversation featuring Bodyguard of Lies director Dan Krauss and Washington Post investigative reporter Craig Whitlock will explore the making of the documentary, moderated by Susan Zirinsky, President of See It Now Studios. Recently premiering at Tribeca, the documentary explores the war in Afghanistan and the insidious deception that the American public underwent. Lauded as ‘unflinching’, the documentary discussion is a timely addition. 

“At Variety, we believe truth is the cornerstone of impactful storytelling. Our Truth Seekers Summit celebrates the voices who are unafraid to challenge narratives and illuminate the world as it is. This year’s lineup reflects the urgency, complexity, and power of telling stories that matter,” said Dea Lawrence, Chief Operating & Marketing Officer.

 “The State of the Documentary Industry” panel will include key leaders from Tribeca, PBS, ITVS, NEON and more discuss the evolving business of documentary filmmaking — from festival premieres to streaming greenlights. Panelists include Dan O’Meara, EVP, nonfiction, NEON; Sylvia Bugg, chief programming executive & GM of general audience programming, PBS; Carrie Lozano, president & CEO, ITVS; Cara Cusumano, festival director & SVP programming, Tribeca; and Karol Martesko-Fenster, CEO & president, Abramorama. 

“We could not be more excited to partner once again with Paramount + and Variety to celebrate investigative storytelling with Truth Seekers” says Rolling Stone’s Executive Editor Sean Woods. “Now in its fifth year, the event and special issue have become a vital celebration of impact journalism and documentary filmmaking.”

True Crime & Investigative Journalism genre leaders Joe Berlinger, EP, ‘Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders,’ Director & EP, ‘Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey’; Lisa Cortés, Director & EP, ‘Murder Has Two Faces’; Julia Willoughby Nason, Director & EP, ‘American Murder: Gabby Petito’;  and Ben McKenzie, Actor and Director, ‘Everyone is Lying to You For Money’ will participate in a panel diving into the art and responsibility of bringing real-life crime stories to the screen. 

The Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Paramount+, coincides with the release of a special feature expanding on the truth seekers theme with stories, both original and archival, demonstrating the brands’ decades-long dedication to the truth.  

Don’t miss exclusive keynote conversations and panel discussions with leading documentary filmmakers, journalists, and cultural trendsetters making an impact. Register for the live stream here.