Character Relationship Map: Truth

Characters

• Mary Mapes (played by Cate Blanchett) — protagonist

  Mary Mapes is the producer leading the 60 Minutes Wednesday investigation into whether a presidential candidate received preferential treatment during military service. She locates key sources and doc...

• Dan Rather (played by Robert Redford) — protagonist

  Dan Rather is the veteran broadcaster who presents Mary Mapes's investigation on 60 Minutes. After the authenticity of the supporting documents is challenged, he apologizes for presenting the material...

• Lucy Scott (played by Elisabeth Moss) — supporting

  Lucy Scott works with Mary Mapes, Mike Smith, and Lt. Colonel Roger Charles as part of the reporting team seeking evidence about preferential military treatment. After the broadcast controversy and th...

• Ben Barnes (played by Philip Quast) — minor
• Mike Smith (played by Topher Grace) — supporting

  Mike Smith is a member of Mary Mapes's investigative crew and helps pursue evidence for the military-service story. Following the challenge to the documents and the internal investigation, he is banne...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Mary Mapes → Mike Smith (Professional Colleagues) — Mike assists the reporting team and shares its professional consequences.

  Mike Smith is explicitly identified as part of Mapes's investigative crew.

• Mary Mapes → Lucy Scott (Professional Colleagues) — Lucy works with Mapes during the investigation and later faces the internal review.

  Lucy Scott is explicitly identified as a member of Mapes's reporting crew.

• Mary Mapes → Dan Rather (Professional Producer And Anchor) — They collaborate professionally to research and broadcast the military-service story.

  Mary Mapes produces the investigative segment, and Dan Rather reports it on 60 Minutes.

• Dan Rather → Ben Barnes (Professional Interviewer And Source) — Their interview supplies a major supporting element for the broadcast.

  Rather interviews former lieutenant governor Ben Barnes, who admits that he pulled strings to enable George Bush to join the National Guard.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Dan Rather → Lucy Scott (Alliance Reporting Team Members) — Their professional roles converge in the disputed broadcast.

  Scott belongs to the crew whose investigation is presented by Rather on 60 Minutes.

• Dan Rather → Mike Smith (Alliance Reporting Team Members) — They are connected through the production and broadcast of the investigation.

  Smith belongs to the crew whose story Rather reports on 60 Minutes.

• Lucy Scott → Mike Smith (Alliance Teammates) — They function as fellow members of the reporting team.

  The plot identifies Lucy and Mike as members of the same crew investigating the story.

Story Analysis

A television investigation collapses into a controversy over document authenticity, journalistic responsibility, and the meaning of truth.

Plot Progression

1. The Military Records Hunt — Mary Mapes and her crew investigate whether military records show preferential treatment. They search for evidence concerning disputed service and possible record alteration.
2. Evidence Takes Shape — The team obtains memos and letters alleging preferential treatment and an extended absence. Dan Rather interviews Ben Barnes, whose admission adds another line of support.
3. A Report Goes Public — Mapes and the crew assemble the evidence, and Rather broadcasts the story on 60 Minutes. The report quickly becomes the subject of accuracy questions.
4. Fonts and Forgeries — Attention shifts from the report's content to the authenticity of its documents. Font analysis and the source's admission of deception intensify the scandal.
5. The Cost of the Story — Rather apologizes, while the reporting team faces an internal review focused on authenticity and alleged political bias. Firings, retirement, and Mapes's dismissal follow.