Discussion

Guide
Here’s what the critics are saying about
Standard Operating Procedure
“Haunting and troubling. Standard Operating Procedure’s subject matter, and what it says about the
war in Iraq, is eye-opening. It may be the most disturbing film you’ll see in a long time.”
Claudia Puig, USA Today

“Harrowing and haunting.”

Richard Corliss, Time Magazine

“Morris forces us to ask ourselves what we would have done in their position, whether or not we like
the answer.”
Christy Lemire, Associated Press

“Four stars (out of four). You probably won’t find a more illuminating account of what happened within
the walls of Abu Ghraib.”
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday

“Morris mixes piercing sit-downs with disturbing evidence.”

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

“See Standard Operating Procedure. Riveting.”

David Edelstein, New York Magazine

“Indisputably an impressive piece of documentary filmmaking.”

Dana Stevens, Slate

“This film..(has).. Morris’ estimable style, grace and control. From the very first moment, as the music
starts and the images of Iraq begin, we feel as if we’re being led someplace.”
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

“As a human document of what people are capable of in wartime, it’s indispensable.”
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

“These days there’s a flood of documentaries examining the U.S. military operations that followed 9/11
in the name of a so-called War on Terror. If you see only one, make it Standard Operating Procedure.”
Natasha Desianto, Campus Circle Review
Thank you for participating in a “Movie and a Conversation” for Standard Operating Procedure. 
Enclosed in this packet is everything you will need for your discussion as well as opportunities to take
action.  Please be sure to return the web survey so we are able to contact you for a special conference
call with the film’s director, Errol Morris, in June.  Here is a message from Errol:

Dear Activist,

My movie  Standard Operating Procedure and the book with the same title (written with Philip
Gourevitch) is the result of over two years of investigation. I have amassed over a million and a half
words of interview transcripts, tens of thousands of pages of unredacted reports and thousands of
photographs.  The story of Abu Ghraib is still shrouded in mystery. There have been thirteen separate
military and civil investigations, but no one knows what really happened. We think we know what
happened there because of the photographs and the investigations, but both have only served to
obfuscate the truth rather than reveal it. 

The Abu Ghraib  photographs, themselves, serve as both an exposé and a cover-up.  An exposé,
because the photographs offer us a glimpse of the horror of Abu Ghraib; a cover-up because they
convinced journalists and readers they had seen everything, that there was no need to look beyond
the photographs and the seven so-called “Bad Apples.” We know about the scapegoats but not about
the real perpetrators.

Four years after the scandal, an unanswered question remains: how could American values become
so compromised that Abu Ghraib—and the subsequent cover-up—could happen?  How did clear
violations of the Geneva Conventions and many other international treaties and covenants become
Standard Operating Procedure for the U.S. Military?

I encourage you to visit TakePart.com/SOP to learn about how, through human rights organizations,
the investigation is being continued, and how you can become involved in making a difference.  In the
future, Participant Media and I hope to make all of the results of these investigations available on the
web to the public at large.  We believe there are things that the public does not know about––that they
need to know about––and we would like you to play a role in helping us to make this possible.

Thank you very much.

Errol Morris
 Standard Operating Procedure
“Movie and a Conversation”
How to Start the Conversation
When you host a “Movie and a Conversation” you help to make a difference by starting a
dialogue about an important issue none of us can afford to ignore. Human rights violations are
an affront to our society, but nothing can change if we don’t take part. Here are tips to help you
organize your event:

• Find a local theater and showtime of the film at TakePart.com/SOP.

• Choose a location for your post-movie conversation – your home, a coffee shop,
a local community center or any good gathering place.

• Invite your friends, family, house of worship and work colleagues to see the
film and join you for a post-movie conversation.

• Use the enclosed suggested questions and discussion topics to guide your
conversation.

• Once your conversation has taken place, please fill out our brief survey.
Click here to fill it out at Survey.TakePart.com. Upon receipt of your survey, we
will send you the date, time and call-in information for a special conference
call with Errol Morris.

• Take action with the organizations involved in our campaign.

• Join our network at TakePart.com/SOP.

If you have any questions, please contact us at

SOP@TakePart.com
 Theatrical Information

April 25, 2008

New York

May 2, 2008
Los Angeles Boston Chicago

May 9, 2008
San Francisco San Diego

May 16, 2008

Seattle Philadelphia Milwaukee

May 23, 2008

Washington, DC Dallas Houston
Minneapolis Portland St. Louis
Denver

May 30, 2008

Atlanta Detroit

June 6, 2008
Tucson Miami Indianapolis
Baltimore Columbus Richmond

June 13, 2008

Charlotte Albuquerque Las Vegas
Reno

Opening Nationwide This Summer.

Visit TakePart.com/SOP for more details.

 Suggested Questions
Below are some suggested questions to guide
your post-film discussion.
1. What is the role of the photographs in the Abu Ghraib scandal?

2. From watching the film, what do you think the consequences of using torture
were for the soldiers involved?

3. How do you think the victims at Abu Ghraib were affected by the torture and
abuse they experienced at the prison?

4. Were you surprised that the Army investigator said that it was standard
operating procedure – and not a crime – to force “Gilligan” to stand on a box
with wires attached to him? Do you believe that this practice ought to be
considered a crime?

5. How do you think the victims at Abu Ghraib were affected by the torture and
abuse they experienced at the prison?

6. Were the punishments appropriate for the crimes at Abu Ghraib?

7. A Defense Department investigating committee suggested that while the

abuses at Abu Ghraib were inexcusable, but that they were only conducted by
a small number of the soldiers stationed there. Do you think that these sorts
of abuses were wide spread at Abu Ghraib or only restricted to the wing
covered in the film?

8. Do you think that General Sanchez – the General who is said to have poked a
Colonel in charge of military intelligence repeatedly in the chest – is partly
to blame for what happened at Abu Ghraib? What could he have, or should he
have, done differently?

9. Do you believe that the extreme techniques depicted in the photos could ever
be useful in extracting intelligence?

10. What responsibility do we, as U.S. citizens, have for what occurred at Abu
Ghraib?

Please remember to fill out our survey, available at: Survey.TakePart.com. Thank You.
 Get Involved and Take Action
at TakePart.com/SOP
Explore How Photography Tells Us the Truth—Or Not
Renowned photographer Nubar Alexanian, who has covered all of Errol Morris’ film sets since 1992, was given
unprecedented access to the set of Standard Operating Procedure. The result: an exhibition of photos that is touring
around the country. Preview a selection of photos online and attend the full exhibit in a city near you.

Be a Witness
Abu Ghraib was under investigation for four months before photos taken by soldiers at the prison were published. It
wasn’t until these shocking images became public that there was an international outcry over the atrocities taking
place there. This speaks to the power of photography to shine a light on an issue and galvanize people to take action.

WITNESS actively works to expose issues through the power of video. Learn more at Witness.org about current
video campaigns working to bring an end to torture and other human rights abuses around the world.

Take a Stand For Human Rights

Celebrate 60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Help The Elders
Reach Their Goal of One Billion Signatures
It’s time for a global conversation about human rights. It’s time to consider the values that unite us as one human family.
And now, for the very first time, citizens of the world can sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a
document that calls for freedom, safety, and personal and political rights for everyone around the world. For the last 60
years only governments were asked to sign the Declaration.
Now, you can join The Elders, an international organization comprised of Nobel Peace Laureates and other world
leaders in their “Every Human Has Rights” campaign, launched to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR.
The organization is led by Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter. Their goal is to get one billion
signatures.

Sign the historical Declaration today and celebrate the basic principles of justice, equality and rights for
all humanity.

Take a Stand Against the Use of Torture

Because recent bipartisan legislation requiring the CIA to follow the Department of Defense Field Manual was recently
vetoed by President Bush, the country is waiting for new legislation.

Until new legislation is presented, you can tell candidates running for President and party officials that you demand
that anti-torture language be included in their platforms.

Watch the Experts Discuss the Political Realities of Torture

See highlights of a panel discussion featuring international human rights activists at the Berlin
Film Festival—Diplomacy in the Age of Terror: The Impact of Diminished Rule of Law on International Relations. The
panel discussed the consequences of alleged U.S. violations of the Geneva Conventions and strategies for moving
forward.
 Get involved and learn more
Visit the organizations listed below to find out more about these issues
and learn how you can get involved at TakePart.com/SOP.

Amnesty International USA

Amnesty International is a group of people from across the world standing up for humanity and human
rights. Our purpose is to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. We
investigate and expose abuses, educate and mobilize the public, and help transform societies to create
a safer, more just world. We received the Nobel Peace Prize for our life-saving work.

American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a national, non-partisan litigation, lobbying, and public
education organization with more than 550,000 members and 53 affiliates. For more than 80 years the
ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to
defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States
guarantee everyone in this country.

Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture

The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture provides comprehensive medical and mental
health care, as well as social and legal services to survivors of torture and war traumas and their family
members. In the past year alone, the program provided these multidisciplinary services to more than
500 men, women and children from 70 countries.

Bill of Rights Defense Committee

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee is a national organization guided by the Bill of Rights, which were
adopted to limit the power of the state over individuals and to preserve basic human and individual
rights for every person under U.S. jurisdiction or control, even in times of war or other national crises,
and regardless of who holds elected power.  BORDC works with grassroots groups and individuals who
are organizing locally to effect change nationally in restoring the full promise of the Bill of Rights. 

Center for American Progress

The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to
promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans
are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national
policies reflect these values. We work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant domestic
and international problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that is “of the people,
by the people, and for the people.”

Human Rights First

Human Rights First is a nonpartisan, international human rights organization based in New York City.
The organization began in 1978 as the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and changed its name in
2004. Since the revelations of abuse surfaced around Abu Ghraib, Human Rights First has been working
to investigate detainee abuse, hold accountable those who are responsible, and put in place legislation
that makes it clear that torture is illegal.
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch works in over eighty countries, addressing the human rights practices of
governments of all political stripes, regardless of ethnic or religious persuasion. It defends freedom of
thought and expression, due process, and equal protection of the law and a vigorous civil society. Human
Rights Watch is widely respected for timely and accurate investigations and research, for documenting
and denouncing murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonments, discrimination and other
human rights abuses.

Physicians for Human Rights

PHR’s Campaign Against Torture seeks to restore the U.S. commitment against torture, to ensure
humane treatment of detainees by ending interrogation policies that include psychological and physical
torture, and to protect U.S. health personnel from complicity in mistreatment and harm. Physicians for
Human Rights mobilizes health professionals to advance health, dignity and justice by promoting human
rights. PHR shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

WITNESS
WITNESS uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations.
We empower people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting
public engagement and policy change.