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2002 · Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston survivors & Spotlight investigation

Journalism, whistleblowers & accountability

Survivors and journalists exposed sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and failures by church leaders to protect children. The Boston Globe’s investigation brought documents and survivor accounts to a wider audience. Betrayal collects the reporting, while Spotlight dramatizes how the newsroom pursued the evidence.

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The Story

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When2002
WhereBoston, Massachusetts
In this collection4 resources

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Blogs & Essays

The Journal

Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →

From the journal

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Blogs & essays

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Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.

Garry Wills · The New York Review of Books

Boston: Truth and Complicity

An essay considers Spotlight’s portrayal of institutional complicity and investigative reporting.

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Books

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Books

1 items

The Investigative Staff of The Boston Globe

Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church

The newspaper investigation collected in book form. The film dramatizes the journalists’ work rather than reproducing all of the book’s reporting.

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Movies & TV

Documentaries & Adaptations

Movies

1 items
About these sources

Watch links, previews and title listings are identified below. Rentals or subscriptions may be required.

Film / television guide

Spotlight (2015)

Dramatized portrayal of these events. Film information and availability are provided by the linked source; dialogue and chronology may differ from the historical record.

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TV & documentaries

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Audiobooks

Listen To The Books

Listen to a book connected to this story. Each edition below is matched to its author and audiobook source.

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Fiction Work

Adaptations & Inspirations

Fiction Work

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Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.

Film / television guide

Spotlight (2015)

Dramatized portrayal of these events. Film information and availability are provided by the linked source; dialogue and chronology may differ from the historical record.

Fiction / DramatizationAccess Varies · Check Source

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Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & film details

Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.

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Choose how you want to read or watch. These are optional paid links.

Links marked “Search” show retailer results. Check the edition, current availability and US region before buying. An Audible link does not guarantee inclusion in a membership. How affiliate links work.

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Podcasts

Episodes & Audio Stories

Podcasts

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Social Media

Videos & Conversations

BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE

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Social Media

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News & Reading

Reporting, Clippings & Archives

More Reading & Audio

1 sources

Explore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.

Google Books · Catalog / Availability

Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church

The Investigative Staff of The Boston Globe. Related reading for The Boston survivors & Spotlight investigation. Book information and any pages made available by Google Books; this is not a promise of full-text access.

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Reading Access Notes

Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.

A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.

News & reporting

1 items

Historical source

The reporting recognized by the Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer organization preserves the Boston Globe’s award citation and investigative articles. Original reporting can contain distressing descriptions of child sexual abuse.

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Newspaper clippings

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Featured newspaper clipping

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Internet Archive

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Court & Files

Explore The Documents

Court records & documents

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About these sources

Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.

No accessible court document has been verified for this case yet.

New material will appear here after editorial review.

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Positive Outcome

Laws, Advocacy & Change

Positive Outcome

0 items
About these sources

Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.

No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.