Tom White Announces Resignation As Editor Of IDA’s Documentary Magazine, Citing “Toxic Context” At Nonprofit Org

Matthew Carey
·6 min read

Tom White is stepping down as editor of Documentary magazine, after more than 22 years at the helm of the IDA publication.

It’s the latest staff departure at the International Documentary Association and follows the surprise resignation announcement made earlier this month by IDA executive director Rick Pérez, whose decision takes effect on Friday.

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White’s resignation becomes effective January 4, 2023. In a message posted on Facebook (see full text below), he wrote, “My mental health–namely, my depression–instigated by the exodus of 18 of my colleagues since the beginning of this year, and the toxic context that spurred that exodus, has worsened over the past several months, and it would be best for me, and for the organization, to bow out at this point.”

The exodus White referenced has seen the IDA lose all of its senior staff and most of its lower-level staffers beginning almost a year ago when four senior directors announced their resignations. Those senior directors—Poh Si Teng, Maggie Bowman, Jina Chung and Amy Halpin—blasted the leadership of Pérez and the nonprofit’s board of directors, a criticism echoed by many who subsequently quit the organization.

The IDA has since replaced many of the staff who resigned. The board announced it has appointed Ken Ikeda to serve as interim executive director after Rick Pérez’s departure. The self-described mission of the IDA, which celebrated its 40th year in 2022, is to “support the vital work of documentary storytellers and champion a thriving and inclusive documentary culture.”

“I leave IDA and Documentary magazine for destinations unknown,” White said in his Facebook post. “New frontiers are always daunting and inspiring; I relish the challenge of taking those steps into something new. I feel immense gratitude for having had the opportunity to serve the documentary community for 22 1/2 years with the job of a lifetime, and I look forward to seeing what my successor will deliver.”

In a statement to Deadline, IDA board co-presidents Grace Lee and Chris Pérez said, “We thank Tom White for his over two decades of hard work, dedication, and extensive contributions during his tenure at IDA. Under Tom’s leadership the magazine has picked up on and illuminated so many of the important issues coursing through the documentary field and led to conversations, new ideas, and positive changes. We look forward to sharing exciting news, in the new year, about a transformative future for this essential media platform for our members and community.”

White’s resignation announcement has triggered a cavalcade of praise for the editor, who is widely respected for his expertise in the art of nonfiction filming. Rick Pérez commented on Facebook, “Thank you, Tom for your 22 1/2 years of service to IDA and the documentary community. You’ve given so much to us!”

Marjan Safinia, a former president of the IDA board, wrote, “You’ve made incalculable contributions to the field Tom. You are a walking encyclopedia of documentary history. You made the magazine and content really top notch in recent years. You’re a total mensch, kind, big-hearted, thoughtful and always available. You’ve done incredible, diligent work to connect and inform us all…” Former IDA executive director Simon Kilmurry commented, “It’s a bittersweet end to a tremendous tenure… Your grace, patience, kindness to others is exemplary. And your impact in the documentary field cannot be overstated.”

Said filmmaker Michèle Stephenson, “Thank you so much for your fierce dedication to this medium and to working to challenge assumptions and expectations to help shift the field.”

In White’s resignation announcement on Facebook, he referenced a fateful turn of events from 9/11. This is his full statement:

“Dear Documentary Community,

After 22 ½ years as Editor of Documentary magazine, I have decided to step down, effective January 4, 2023. I have submitted letters of resignation to the Executive Director and IDA Board of Directors and to the IDA staff. My mental health–namely, my depression–instigated by the exodus of 18 of my colleagues since the beginning of this year, and the toxic context that spurred that exodus, has worsened over the past several months, and it would be best for me, and for the organization, to bow out at this point.

“On September 10, 2001, I was on a flight from Boston to Los Angeles, having visited my wife that weekend, who was getting her master’s degree at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. She wanted me to stay an extra day, and leave the next morning–September 11. She was disappointed that I didn’t honor her wishes. And then the same plane I had taken the previous day was flown into the World Trade Center.

“In my long tenure as editor, I often think about 9/11. I think about those who were on the plane I might have taken–how so much loss reverberates over so many people, and how the future becomes an unending, horrific present and past. And I think about those who flew out on September 10, and how they might have carried out or redirected their lives in the subsequent decades, having been spared, as I would grow to believe that I was.

“It was the 10th anniversary of 9/11 when things began to crystallize–my fortune ten years ago had transformed my job into a calling, a livelihood, a purpose. I feel truly blessed to have had a purpose, a reason for making my work better, for serving the community as honestly, intentionally and creatively as I could, ever mindful of my blind spots and deficiencies, ever intent on addressing them To echo what I wrote back in February, in a letter to the IDA Members, in what seemed like a valediction, my purpose has been fortified in large part by the brilliant and compassionate people I’ve had the pleasure of working with–the staffs at IDA and Documentary magazine, and the awesome corps of writers, Editorial Fellows and interns. I have learned so much from all of you, as well as from the documentary community out there: the filmmakers, the educators, the activists, the gatekeepers, the fans.

“I leave IDA and Documentary magazine for destinations unknown. New frontiers are always daunting and inspiring; I relish the challenge of taking those steps into something new. I feel immense gratitude for having had the opportunity to serve the documentary community for 22 1/2 years with the job of a lifetime, and I look forward to seeing what my successor will deliver.

“If you’d like to keep in touch; my personal email is tomwhiteeditor@gmail.com

I wish you all the best.

Sincerely, [Tom White]”

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