Spotlight Quotes
Mitchell Garabedian: If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.
Movie: Spotlight
Marty Baron: Sometimes it's easy to forget that we spend most of our time stumbling around the dark. Suddenly, a light gets turned on and there's a fair share of blame to go around. I can't speak to what happened before I arrived, but all of you have done some very good reporting here. Reporting that I believe is going to have an immediate and considerable impact on our readers. For me, this kind of story is why we do this.
Movie: Spotlight
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: We've got two stories here: a story about degenerate clergy, and a story about a bunch of lawyers turning child abuse into a cottage industry. Which story do you want us to write? Because we're writing one of them.
Movie: Spotlight
Mike Rezendes: We got Law. This is it.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: No, this is Law covering for one priest, there's another ninety out there.
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, and we'll print that story when we get it, but we got to go with this now.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: No, I'm not going to rush this story, Mike.
Mike Rezendes: We don't have a choice, Robby. If we don't rush to print, somebody else is going to find these letters and butcher this story. Joe Quimby from the Herald was at the freaking courthouse!
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Mike.
Mike Rezendes: What? Why are we hesitating? Baron told us to get Law. This is Law.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Baron told us to get the system. We need the full scope. That's the only thing that will put an end to this.
Mike Rezendes: Then let's take it up to Ben and let him decide.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: We'll take it to Ben when I say it's time.
Mike Rezendes: It's time, Robby! It's time! They knew and they let it happen! To KIDS! Okay? It could have been you, it could have been me, it could have been any of us. We gotta nail these scumbags! We gotta show people that nobody can get away with this; Not a priest, or a cardinal or a freaking pope!
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: No, this is Law covering for one priest, there's another ninety out there.
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, and we'll print that story when we get it, but we got to go with this now.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: No, I'm not going to rush this story, Mike.
Mike Rezendes: We don't have a choice, Robby. If we don't rush to print, somebody else is going to find these letters and butcher this story. Joe Quimby from the Herald was at the freaking courthouse!
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Mike.
Mike Rezendes: What? Why are we hesitating? Baron told us to get Law. This is Law.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Baron told us to get the system. We need the full scope. That's the only thing that will put an end to this.
Mike Rezendes: Then let's take it up to Ben and let him decide.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: We'll take it to Ben when I say it's time.
Mike Rezendes: It's time, Robby! It's time! They knew and they let it happen! To KIDS! Okay? It could have been you, it could have been me, it could have been any of us. We gotta nail these scumbags! We gotta show people that nobody can get away with this; Not a priest, or a cardinal or a freaking pope!
Movie: Spotlight
Peter Canellos: They say it's just physical abuse but it's more than that, this was spiritual abuse. You know why I went along with everything? Because priests, are supposed to be the good guys.
Movie: Spotlight
Mike Rezendes: [from trailer]Six percent is 90.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: 90 priests?
Ben Bradlee Jr.: If there were 90 of these bastards, people would know.
Mike Rezendes: Maybe they do.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: 90 priests?
Ben Bradlee Jr.: If there were 90 of these bastards, people would know.
Mike Rezendes: Maybe they do.
Movie: Spotlight
Marty Baron: We need to focus on the institution, not the individual priests. Practice and policy; show me the church manipulated the system so that these guys wouldn't have to face charges, show me they put those same priests back into parishes time and time again. Show me this was systemic, that it came from the top, down.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: Sounds like we're going after Law.
Marty Baron: We're going after the system.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: Sounds like we're going after Law.
Marty Baron: We're going after the system.
Movie: Spotlight
Cardinal Law: If I can be of any help, Marty, don't hesitate to ask. I find that the city flourishes when its great institutions work together.
Marty Baron: Thank you. Personally I'm of the opinion that for a paper to best perform its function, it really needs to stand alone.
Marty Baron: Thank you. Personally I'm of the opinion that for a paper to best perform its function, it really needs to stand alone.
Movie: Spotlight
Mike Rezendes: Mitch, are you telling me that the Catholic Church removed legal documents from that courthouse?
Mitchell Garabedian: Look, I'm not crazy, I'm not paranoid. I'm experienced. Check the docket. You'll see. They control everything.
Mitchell Garabedian: Look, I'm not crazy, I'm not paranoid. I'm experienced. Check the docket. You'll see. They control everything.
Movie: Spotlight
Jim Sullivan: [from trailer]I was doing my job.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Yeah, you and everyone else.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Yeah, you and everyone else.
Movie: Spotlight
Mitchell Garabedian: This city, these people... making the rest of us feel like we don't belong. But they're no better than us. Look at how they treat their children. Mark my words, Mr. Rezendes. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.
Movie: Spotlight
Mike Rezendes: [from trailer]They knew and they let it happen! It could've been you, it could've been me, it could've been any of us.
Movie: Spotlight
Marty Baron: Did everyone read Eileen McNamara's column this weekend?
Boston Globe Worker: That's the Geoghan case?
Marty Baron: Yeah, what's the follow on that?
Ben Bradlee Jr.: It-It's a column, what kind of follow are you thinking?
Marty Baron: Uh... well apparently this priest molested kids in 6 different parishes over the last 30 years and the attorney for the victims, a Mr...
Eileen McNamara: Garabedian
Marty Baron: Thanks Eileen, Mr Garabedian says Cardinal Law found out about it 15 years ago and did nothing.
Paul Burke: Yeah, I think that attorney is a bit of a crank, and The Church dismissed the claim.
Eileen McNamara: He-said she-said.
Marty Baron: Whether Mr Garabedian is a 'crank' or not, he says he has documents that prove that Cardinal knew.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: As I understand that those documents are under seal.
Marty Baron: Okay, but the fact remains a Boston priest abused 80 kids, we have a lawyer who says he can prove Law knew about it and we've written all of... uh... 2 stories in the last 6 months. This strikes me as an essential story to a local paper, I think the very least we have to go through those documents.
Paul Burke: How would you like to do that?
Marty Baron: Oh uh, I don't know what the laws are here, but in Florida we would go to court.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: You wanna sue the Church?
Marty Baron: Technically we wouldn't sue the Church, we'd file a motion to lift the seal on the documents.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: The Church will read that as us suing them. So will everybody else.
Marty Baron: Good to know.
Boston Globe Worker: That's the Geoghan case?
Marty Baron: Yeah, what's the follow on that?
Ben Bradlee Jr.: It-It's a column, what kind of follow are you thinking?
Marty Baron: Uh... well apparently this priest molested kids in 6 different parishes over the last 30 years and the attorney for the victims, a Mr...
Eileen McNamara: Garabedian
Marty Baron: Thanks Eileen, Mr Garabedian says Cardinal Law found out about it 15 years ago and did nothing.
Paul Burke: Yeah, I think that attorney is a bit of a crank, and The Church dismissed the claim.
Eileen McNamara: He-said she-said.
Marty Baron: Whether Mr Garabedian is a 'crank' or not, he says he has documents that prove that Cardinal knew.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: As I understand that those documents are under seal.
Marty Baron: Okay, but the fact remains a Boston priest abused 80 kids, we have a lawyer who says he can prove Law knew about it and we've written all of... uh... 2 stories in the last 6 months. This strikes me as an essential story to a local paper, I think the very least we have to go through those documents.
Paul Burke: How would you like to do that?
Marty Baron: Oh uh, I don't know what the laws are here, but in Florida we would go to court.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: You wanna sue the Church?
Marty Baron: Technically we wouldn't sue the Church, we'd file a motion to lift the seal on the documents.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: The Church will read that as us suing them. So will everybody else.
Marty Baron: Good to know.
Movie: Spotlight
Mitchell Garabedian: I'm Armenian. How many Armenians do you know in Boston ?
Mike Rezendes: Steve Kurkjian, works at the Globe...
Mitchell Garabedian: Oh. That's two. You should get a prize or something.
Mike Rezendes: Steve Kurkjian, works at the Globe...
Mitchell Garabedian: Oh. That's two. You should get a prize or something.
Movie: Spotlight
Phil Saviano: I was eleven. And I was preyed upon by father David Holly in Wester. And I don't mean prayed for, I mean preyed upon.
Movie: Spotlight
Mike Rezendes: [from trailer]I know there's things you cannot tell people. But I also know there's a story here people will hear about it.
Movie: Spotlight
[last lines] Title Card: Over the course of 2002, the Spotlight team published close to 600 stories about the scandal.
Title Card: 249 priests and brothers were publicly accused of sexual abuse within the Boston Archdiocese. The number of survivors in Boston is estimated to be well over 1,000.
Title Card: In December 2002, Cardinal Law resigned from the Boston Archdiocese. He was reassigned to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, one of the highest ranking Roman Catholic churches in the world.
Title Card: Major abuse scandals have been uncovered in the following places: Albany, NY, Altoona, PA, Anchorage, AK, Anchorage, KY, Baker, OR, Baltimore, MD, Billings, MT, Bridgeport, CT, Briscoe Memorial, WA, Brooklyn, NY, Burlington, VT, Camden, NJ, Cape Girardeau, MO, Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Cleveland, OH, Collegeville, MN, Conway Springs, KS, Covington, KY, Dallas, TX, Davenport, IA, Denver, CO, Detroit, MI, Dubuque, IA, East Greenwich, RI, El Paso, TX, Fairbanks, AK, Fall River, MA, Fargo, ND, Farmington, IA, Fort Worth, TX, Gallup, NM, Goshen, NY, Grand Mound, IA, Grand Rapids, MI, Greenbush, MN, Hannibal, CT, Helena, MT, Honolulu, HI, Indianapolis, IN, Jackson, MS, Joliet, IL, Kansas, City, KS, Kansas, City, MO, Lincoln, NE, Los Angeles, CA, Los Gatos, CA, Louisville, KY, Manchester, NH, Marietta, GA, Marty Indian School, SD, Memphis, TN, Mendham, NJ, Miami, FL, Milwaukee, WI, Mobile, AL, Monterey, CA, Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, New York, NY, Oakland, CA, Omaha, NE, Onamia, MN, Orange, CA, Palm Beach, FL, Peoria, IL, Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, Pittsburgh, PA, Portland, OR, Providence, RI, Raleigh, NC, Richmond, VA, Rochester, NY, Rockville Centre, NY, Rosebud Reservation, SD, Sacramento, CA, San Antonio, TX, San Bernardino, CA, San Diego, CA, Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Fe, NM, Santa Rosa, CA, Savannah, GA, Scranton, PA, Seattle, WA, Spokane, WA, Springfield, MA, St. Francis
Title Card: 249 priests and brothers were publicly accused of sexual abuse within the Boston Archdiocese. The number of survivors in Boston is estimated to be well over 1,000.
Title Card: In December 2002, Cardinal Law resigned from the Boston Archdiocese. He was reassigned to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, one of the highest ranking Roman Catholic churches in the world.
Title Card: Major abuse scandals have been uncovered in the following places: Albany, NY, Altoona, PA, Anchorage, AK, Anchorage, KY, Baker, OR, Baltimore, MD, Billings, MT, Bridgeport, CT, Briscoe Memorial, WA, Brooklyn, NY, Burlington, VT, Camden, NJ, Cape Girardeau, MO, Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Cleveland, OH, Collegeville, MN, Conway Springs, KS, Covington, KY, Dallas, TX, Davenport, IA, Denver, CO, Detroit, MI, Dubuque, IA, East Greenwich, RI, El Paso, TX, Fairbanks, AK, Fall River, MA, Fargo, ND, Farmington, IA, Fort Worth, TX, Gallup, NM, Goshen, NY, Grand Mound, IA, Grand Rapids, MI, Greenbush, MN, Hannibal, CT, Helena, MT, Honolulu, HI, Indianapolis, IN, Jackson, MS, Joliet, IL, Kansas, City, KS, Kansas, City, MO, Lincoln, NE, Los Angeles, CA, Los Gatos, CA, Louisville, KY, Manchester, NH, Marietta, GA, Marty Indian School, SD, Memphis, TN, Mendham, NJ, Miami, FL, Milwaukee, WI, Mobile, AL, Monterey, CA, Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, New York, NY, Oakland, CA, Omaha, NE, Onamia, MN, Orange, CA, Palm Beach, FL, Peoria, IL, Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, Pittsburgh, PA, Portland, OR, Providence, RI, Raleigh, NC, Richmond, VA, Rochester, NY, Rockville Centre, NY, Rosebud Reservation, SD, Sacramento, CA, San Antonio, TX, San Bernardino, CA, San Diego, CA, Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Fe, NM, Santa Rosa, CA, Savannah, GA, Scranton, PA, Seattle, WA, Spokane, WA, Springfield, MA, St. Francis
Movie: Spotlight
Sacha Pfeiffer: [from trailer]We understand you settled several cases against the church.
Eric Macleish: I can't discuss that.
Sacha Pfeiffer: Are there any records of any of these settlements?
Eric Macleish: No.
Eric Macleish: I can't discuss that.
Sacha Pfeiffer: Are there any records of any of these settlements?
Eric Macleish: No.
Movie: Spotlight
Mitchell Garabedian: [from trailer]I don't want you recording this in any way, shape or form. Nothing.
Movie: Spotlight
Ben Bradlee Jr.: So it's thirteen priests?
Sacha Pfeiffer: Yeah.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Looks that way.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: Holy shit.
Sacha Pfeiffer: Yeah.
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Looks that way.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: Holy shit.
Movie: Spotlight
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: [from trailer]Guys, listen. Everybody's gonna be interested in this.
Movie: Spotlight
[first lines] Young Cop: How's that going?
Court Clerk Mark: Mother's ballin' and the uncle is pissed off.
Young Cop: She's not married?
Court Clerk Mark: Divorced, with 4 kids. I guess the Father was helping out.
Young Cop: Helping out?
Court Clerk Mark: ...Hey, Mr. Burke, they're in the back talking to the Bishop.
Paul Burke: [entering]And Father?
Court Clerk Mark: We put him in the break room.
Paul Burke: Any press?
Court Clerk Mark: Some guy from the Citizen, but we sent him away. None of the big papers.
Paul Burke: Let's keep it that way... [continues down the hall]
Young Cop: Who's that?
Court Clerk Mark: Assistant D.A.
Young Cop: It's gonna be hard to keep the papers from arraignment.
Court Clerk Mark: What arraignment?
Court Clerk Mark: Mother's ballin' and the uncle is pissed off.
Young Cop: She's not married?
Court Clerk Mark: Divorced, with 4 kids. I guess the Father was helping out.
Young Cop: Helping out?
Court Clerk Mark: ...Hey, Mr. Burke, they're in the back talking to the Bishop.
Paul Burke: [entering]And Father?
Court Clerk Mark: We put him in the break room.
Paul Burke: Any press?
Court Clerk Mark: Some guy from the Citizen, but we sent him away. None of the big papers.
Paul Burke: Let's keep it that way... [continues down the hall]
Young Cop: Who's that?
Court Clerk Mark: Assistant D.A.
Young Cop: It's gonna be hard to keep the papers from arraignment.
Court Clerk Mark: What arraignment?
Movie: Spotlight
Mitchell Garabedian: I already talked to the Phoenix.
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, there's a reason I didn't see it. Nobody reads a Phoenix anymore... they're broke, they don't have any power. The Globe does. If we cover the story, everybody will hear about it.
Mitchell Garabedian: The Church thinks in centuries, Mr. Rezendes. Do you think your paper has resources to take that on?
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, I do. But if you don't mind me asking... Do you?
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, there's a reason I didn't see it. Nobody reads a Phoenix anymore... they're broke, they don't have any power. The Globe does. If we cover the story, everybody will hear about it.
Mitchell Garabedian: The Church thinks in centuries, Mr. Rezendes. Do you think your paper has resources to take that on?
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, I do. But if you don't mind me asking... Do you?
Movie: Spotlight