Traveled to East Timor in the early 90s with her colleague Alan Nairn. They were expecting to report on the Portuguese delegates who were scheduled to go to East Timor. They had also planned to investigate the human rights situation during the Indonesian occupation. The Timorese were protesting in the street when they learned that the delegation had canceled the visit. The Indonesian military later opened fire on the Timorese; Goodman believes that she and Nairn were not shot because the Indonesians were using weapons supplied by the American government. Their experiences were the foundation for the documentary
Massacre: The Story of East Timor (2002).