Amanpour and Company

YOU KNOW, I WORK FOR "THE NEW YORK TIMES," I'VE BEEN THERE THE PAST NINE YEARS. MY COLLEAGUE, LIZ DAY, WAS THE ONE WHO WANTED TO DO THIS. SHE APPEARS IN THE FILM. AND WE REALLY WORK AS A TEAM. THE ORIGINAL IDEA WAS TO TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF HER BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT THROUGH THIS LENS OF TODAY, IT LOOKS APPALLING. BUT BACK THEN, THERE WAS NO OUTCRY ABOUT IT, THIS WAS JUST HOW WE TREATED YOUNG WOMEN IN OUR SOCIETY. AND SO THE CONSERVATORSHIP ACTUALLY WAS SECOND TO THE STORY WE WANTED TO TELL ORIGINALLY, BUT MORE COURT FILINGS KEPT COMING SO WE SHIFTED A LITTLE BIT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE CLIPS NOW, THEY FEEL ALMOST RIDICULOUS, BUT IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO, YOU KNOW. IT WAS -- >> IT'S NOT EVEN RIDICULOUS, IT'S ACTUALLY VIOLENT. THEY VIOLATED HER SPACE AND TALKED IN A WAY THAT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TODAY. IT JUST WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO TALK TO A YOUNG GIRL IN THAT HYPERSEXUALIZED WAY. IT'S TRULY APPALLING. AND THEN SHE HAS THIS BREAKUP WITH JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE AND THEN HE DOES THESE REVENGE SONGS AND IT'S ALL -- SHE'S ALWAYS IN THE WRONG. SHE'S ASKED ABOUT HER BREASTS, SHE'S ASKED ABOUT HER VIRGINITY. FINALLY JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE DOES AN INSTAGRAM APOLOGYISH. I'M DEEPLY SORRY FOR THE TIMES IN MY LIFE WHERE MY ACTIONS CONTRIBUTED TO A PROBLEM, WHERE I SPOKE OUT OF TURN OR DID NOT SPEAK UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT. HOW DO YOU ASSESS THAT? DO YOU THINK SOMETHING LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO BRITNEY SPEARS IN THIS PARTICULAR PART OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN TO A YOUNG UP-AND-COMING FEMALE PERFORMER OR STAR? >> YOU KNOW, JUSTIN'S APOLOGY GOT ME THINKING ABOUT HOW MANY YESES JUSTIN HAD TO GET TO GET TO THE PLACE WHERE HE IS RIGHT NOW. SO WE FEATURE THIS MUSIC VIDEO WHERE I ASKED EVERYBODY I KNEW WHO CAME TO BE INTERVIEWED, CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS MUSIC KVIDEO, AND THEY SAI ISN'T THAT THE VIDEO WHERE BRITNEY CHEATS ON JUSTIN? WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN THE VIDEO IS JUSTIN ESSENTIALLY FOLLOWS A BRITNEY LOOK-ALIKE HOME, HIDES IN HER CLOSET, WATCHES HER SHOWER AND PUTS A SEX TAPE OF HIMSELF WITH ANOTHER WOMAN ON HER TV AND THEN RUNS AWAY. THAT IS ACTUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MUSIC VIDEO. THINKING ABOUT HOW MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED IN MAKING A MUSIC VIDEO, JUSTIN DOESN'T MAKE IT BY HIMSELF, AND HOW MANY GATES IT HAD TO GET TO TO GET TO OUR TELEVISION SCREENS. AND IT MADE HIM SUCCESSFUL. LIKE THAT WAS HIS FIRST REAL SUCCESSFUL ALBUM. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT NEED TO REFLECT AND APOLOGIZE AS WELL, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST JUSTIN. HE'S THE FACE OF IT, YOU KNOW. >> SO I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU, BECAUSE SOME HAVE ASKED, TALKING ABOUT EXPLOITING BRITNEY SPEARS, WHICH CLEARLY SHE HAS BEEN, THE PAPARAZZI WENT FROM HAVING A GREAT RELATIONSHIP TO A REALLY FERAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HER AFTERWARDS. YOU DID THIS DOCUMENTARY, YOU DON'T HAVE BRITNEY SPEARS IN THE DOCUMENTARY. YOU DON'T HAVE THE PARENTS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? >> I FEEL LIKE IT'S A HUGE ETHICAL CONFLICT THE WHOLE TIME. I'VE NEVER MADE A PIECE WITHOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE MAIN PERSON. I THINK THAT THE ONE THING THAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO WAS NOT EVER ASSUME WHAT WAS INSIDE BRITNEY'S HEAD. EVERYBODY WANTS TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING ABOUT BRITNEY SPEARS, EVERYTHING ABOUT WHAT SHE'S THINKING. IT JUST FEELS LIKE ANYBODY YOU TALK TO HAS A THINK PIECE ALREADY MADE UP ABOUT BRITNEY. AND SO I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO THOSE PEOPLE. I ONLY WANTED TO TALK TO PEOPLE WHO HAD FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE OR PEOPLE WHO COULD COMMENT ON THE CULTURE AROUND BRITNEY. AND SO BY REALLY OURSELVES REPORTING THIS OUT AND ALSO THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE INTERVIEW BITES THAT WE CHOSE, WE DIDN'T WANT TO ASSUME WHAT WAS IN HER HEAD. AND SO I THINK THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE PIECE, WE'RE REFLECTING ON OURSELVES THE WAY WE TREAT HER. I THINK WHAT HAPPENS TO HER IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUNG WOMEN ALL THE TIME. >> WELL, I TELL YOU, IT'S REALLY QUITE SHOCKING AND IT'S FOOD FOR THOUGHT. I MEAN WHO KNEW THAT "THE NEW YORK TIMES" WOULD DO A DOCUMENTARY ON BRITNEY SPEARS OR THAT WE'D BE TALKING ABOUT IT IN THIS WAY NOW, BUT IT REALLY IS FOOD FOR REFLECTION. SAMANTHA STARK, THANK YOU SO MUCH INDEED FOR JOINING US. >>> AND FINALLY, A BRAZILIAN BALLERINA BORN WITH NO ARMS IS DAZZLING THE WORLD WITH HER TALENT. HER CHILDHOOD DREAM OF BECOMING A DANCER SEEMED PAINFULLY UNREALISTIC. NOW AT 16, SHE'S A RISING STAR AT THE LOCAL BALLET ACADEMY IN HER HOMETOWN, WHICH IS NORTHEAST OF SAO PAOLO. DANCING HAS GIVEN VICTORIA THE STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY SHE NEEDS TO DO EVERYDAY TASKS WITH HER FEET, FROM BRUSHING HER TEETH TO PICKING ITEMS OFF THE SUPERMARKET SHELF. WITH OVER 150,000 INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS, SHE'S GLAD TO BE A ROLE MODEL FOR OTHERS AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES. DEFYING THE ODDS ONE PIROUETTE AT A TIME. THAT IS IT FOR OUR PROGRAM TONIGHT. REMEMBER, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND THE SHOW ON TWITTER. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING "AMANPOUR & COMPANY" ON PBS. JOIN US AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT. >>> "AMANPOUR & CO." IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE ANDERSON FAMILY FUND, SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III, THE CHERYL AND PHILIP MILSTEIN FAMILY, CANDACE KING WEIR, THE STRAUS FAMILY FOUNDATION, BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ, JEFFREY KATZ AND BETH ROGERS. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THESE FUNDERS AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU.