Sundance review: 'Bad Press' is a compelling storry about the battle for freedom of the press in Oklahoma's Muscogee Nation

Living in the privileged position where my rights as a journalist aren’t up for a public vote, I was righteously indignant at the events directors Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler chronicle in the fascinating documentary “Bad Press.”

Among the hundreds of federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States, only a handful have codified freedom of the press in their laws. In 2018, one of those was the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma — that is, until the tribe’s ruling council voted, in a hastily convened “emergency” meeting, to severely curb the free-press rights within the tribe. It’s clear from the beginning that the reason for this change is that the reporters of Mvskoke Media had been writing articles about scandals that embarrassed tribal leaders.

Landsberry-Baker and Peeler follow the reporters and editors of Mvskoke Media — a dwindling group of hardy, dedicated journalists who are fighting back on the interference the new law allows from the tribal government. The main character we meet is Angel Ellis, a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, kick-ass reporter who drives in from Tulsa every day to do the job the tribal government would rather she not do. (If I see Angel on the streets in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival, I want to buy her a coffee or a beer.)

As the story progresses, there’s a push to put a free-press constitutional amendment on the ballot — and it quickly becomes the hot-button issue in the campaign for principal chief, the top executive in the tribe. It’s also a lucky break for the filmmakers, as the election becomes a natural storyline.

It’s not just luck that Landsberry-Baker (a citizen of Muscogee Nation) and Peeler find compelling characters within this complicated story, and capture their lives and their passion in their footage. “Bad Press” is a heartfelt reminder of what a free press means in society — and the dangers to all of us if it’s threatened.

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‘Bad Press’

★★★1/2

Playing in the U.S. Documentary competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Screens again on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 3:30 p.m., Redstone Cinemas, Park City; Wednesday, Jan. 25, noon, Screening Room, Sundance Mountain Resort; Thursday, Jan. 26, 12:40 p.m., Holiday Village Cinemas, Park City; Friday, Jan. 27, 9:45 p.m., Broadway Center Cinemas, Salt Lake City. Also screening online on the Sundance Film Festival platform, starting Tuesday, Jan. 24. Not rated, but probably PG-13 for language and smoking. Running time: 98 minutes.