“On the Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries,” produced by CNN Films for HBO Max, follows the on- and off-the-clock lives of 10 women who have been covering the presidential campaigns for CNN from coast to coast.
“There is nothing like the rush of covering a presidential campaign,” chief political correspondent Dana Bash says in the documentary. “We get a front row seat to history.”
Yet as the reporters balance life on the road with their lives at home, it becomes clear this is work that requires some sacrifice.
“Your life,” Bash says, “is not your own.”
Who’s in it?
“On the Trail” follows CNN journalists in a range of roles. In addition to Bash, the film features campaign embeds Daniella Diaz, Annie Grayer and Jasmine Wright; White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins; and political correspondents Jessica Dean, Kyung Lah, MJ Lee, Abby Phillip and Arlette Saenz.
What parts of the election does it cover?
The documentary begins in the days before the Iowa caucuses, when the Democratic presidential race was still packed with contenders.
From there, “On the Trail” captures how an unprecedented election season unfolded through the perspectives of the reporters covering it all — from the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic to the social justice demands that launched a summer of protest.