What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedAn Ugly Truth
Sheera Frenkel, Cecilia Kang · Book · 2021
If you loved An Ugly Truth, start with The Birth Keepers | The Guardian Investigates — a podcast on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to An Ugly Truth across media.
What hooked you in An Ugly Truth is the chilling way institutional hubris and systemic cover-ups inevitably sacrifice public safety for growth.
Films on the same thread
The Ugly Truth
Robert Luketic · Film · 2009
Explores: opposites attract, battle of the sexes, relationship advice.
If An Ugly Truth hit, The Ugly Truth shares the thread.
The Post
Film · 2017
Explores: Freedom of the press, Whistleblowing, Institutional corruption.
Like the investigative rigor in An Ugly Truth, this film explores the high-stakes tension between institutional power and the duty of the press to expose dangerous, deep-rooted corruption.
Official Secrets
Gavin Hood · Film · 2019
Explores: Whistleblower, Government Conspiracy, Ethical Dilemma.
If the pursuit of truth in An Ugly Truth resonated with you, this story of a whistleblower defying government secrecy to reveal an illegal operation will feel essential.
The Social Network
David Fincher · Film · 2010
Explores: Ambition, Betrayal, Friendship.
This film provides the origin story for the tech giant analyzed in An Ugly Truth, detailing the ambition and betrayal that defined the company's early, troubled corporate culture.
Series on the same thread
The Looming Tower
Lawrence Wright · Series · 2018
Explores: Counterterrorism, Intelligence Failure, Bureaucratic Inefficiency.
Much like the bureaucratic failures detailed in An Ugly Truth, this series examines how institutional inertia and intelligence gaps lead to catastrophic real-world consequences for the public.
The Morning Show
Jay Carson · Series · 2019
Explores: Media Ethics, Power Dynamics, Gender Inequality.
This drama mirrors the toxic workplace dynamics exposed in An Ugly Truth, illustrating how powerful media institutions struggle with ethical crises and internal power imbalances under intense scrutiny.
Chernobyl
Craig Mazin · Series · 2019
Explores: Nuclear Disaster, Government Cover-Up, Sacrifice.
This docudrama captures the same devastating intersection of government cover-ups and institutional negligence that drives the narrative of corporate accountability found in An Ugly Truth.
Dopesick
Danny Strong · Series · 2021
Explores: Opioid Addiction, Corporate Greed, Pharmaceutical Industry.
This series reflects the systemic corruption and corporate greed documented in An Ugly Truth, exposing how a single organization's drive for profit caused a massive, tragic public health epidemic.
Podcasts on the same thread
Pivot
New York Magazine · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with An Ugly Truth: corporate accountability.
If you appreciated the sharp tech industry analysis in An Ugly Truth, this podcast offers the same unfiltered scrutiny of current market trends, power dynamics, and corporate accountability.
The Birth Keepers | The Guardian Investigates
Podcast
Shares a thread with An Ugly Truth: investigative journalism.
This investigation echoes the themes of social media impact and misinformation found in An Ugly Truth, tracing how digital influence can be weaponized to cause widespread real-world harm.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is An Ugly Truth based on real events?
Yes. An Ugly Truth is a work of investigative journalism written by New York Times reporters Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang. It documents the internal culture, leadership decisions, and crises that occurred at Facebook, as revealed through their extensive reporting and insider details.
What is the primary focus of An Ugly Truth?
An Ugly Truth examines how the pursuit of growth and a culture of hubris led to a series of crises at Facebook. The book details how company leadership made specific decisions that enabled these issues and discusses the subsequent attempts to cover them up.
Who are the authors of An Ugly Truth?
An Ugly Truth was written by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang. Both authors are prize-winning investigative journalists for The New York Times who collaborated to reveal the internal workings and corporate challenges faced by the tech giant Facebook during the period leading up to 2021.
Does An Ugly Truth cover the New York Times investigation into Facebook?
Yes. An Ugly Truth expands on the bombshell in-depth investigation originally published by The New York Times in November 2018. The book provides further context and disturbing insider details regarding the leadership decisions and crises that were first exposed in that report.