Reporter who broke Sandusky abuse story consulted on film

Sara Ganim

Sara Ganim, "who broke the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal wide open at the tender age of 23" as a reporter for The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, played a key role "Paterno," HBO's new movie on the 2011 Penn State scandal, John Luciew reports for the newspaper. 

The film, which premiered Saturday, is half about head football coach Joe Paterno's downfall, and half about Ganim's dogged pursuit of the story about the assistant coach, for which she and others at the paper won a 2012 Pulitzer Prize. Ganim, now a CNN correspondent in Washington, D.C., was a paid consultant for the movie. She told Luciew she had turned down similar projects, but believes this film puts the appropriate focus on the victims. 

Ganim said she hopes it will inspire other journalists: "This came at a great time for community journalists . . . As a profession, they are not appreciated. There are major cuts and financial problems. I felt this was a win for people who are doing good work. I can only hope it will inspire others who are grinding it out every day for a very little paycheck and very little reward."