CARPE MEDIA

by Chad Painter

Faye Dunaway in "Network" (1976)

People say a lot of things about journalism. That the reporting is one-sided and subjective. That reporters would rather than get the story first than get it right. That editors are more concerned with selling sex and sports than reporting worthwhile stories.

But one thing that can’t be denied is that people are fascinated by journalists. That’s why there are so many movies about the profession. Here’s a list of the ten best movies (excluding documentaries) about journalists and their craft.

1) All the President’s Men (1976)

The Washington Post’s investigation into the Watergate break-in, which resulted in the resignation of President Nixon, was journalism’s finest hour. The film features great performances from Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Hal Holbrook and Jason Robards, among many, many others. The cinematography is also terrific—from scarily dark scenes between Woodward and Deep Throat to the final images of ink hitting paper.

2) Network (1976)

Television is all about ratings, which is why the film’s struggling Union Broadcasting System turns its news division over to entertainment. UBS’s first move is to fire anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch), who temporarily saves his job with a series of deranged, on-air rants that connect with viewers. This is the film that gave us the line “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore”—an appropriate sentiment for today.

3) Citizen Kane (1941)

Orson Welles’ masterpiece is generally considered the greatest movie ever made. Kane sits at No. 3 here because it’s about so much more than the newspaper business. The lead character, Charles Foster Kane, was based on William Randolph Hearst. 

4) The Paper (1994)

This is one of my favorite movies, largely because it captures the stress, the pressures and the fun of the newspaper business. While Alicia Clark (Glenn Close) struggles to run with New York’s high society on a managing editor’s salary, Bernie White (Robert Duvall) laments the empty pages he must fill every day and Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) sounds downright giddy when he gets to live out every reporter’s dream by screaming “Stop the presses!“

5) Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

Do you know how much balls it took for Edward R. Murrow to take on Senator Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Red Scare? You will after seeing this movie.

6) Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this semi-autobiographical film about a teenager hired to write a feature story for Rolling Stone. The movie is uneven, but it’s saved by Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of Lester Bangs and his spot-on advice about writing a music review: “Be honest. Be brutal.” 

7) The Insider (1999)

Despite seven Oscar nominations, this movie seemed to fall through the cracks when it was released. Al Pacino and Russell Crowe turn in great performances; Pacino is a 60 Minutes producer trying to break an investigative story about Big Tobacco and the “insider” (Crowe) who knows the score. There are reasons that The Insider is studied in ethics classes: almost everyone in the film is despicable, and it illustrates how journalistic decisions are made for seemingly every reason—except for what’s best for the story. 

8) The Killing Fields (1984)

Sam Waterston and John Malkovitch star as a New York Times reporter and photojournalist duo covering genocide in Cambodia. The emotional center of the film, however, is Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor), a local reporter and guide whom the Americans leave behind when they evacuate.

9) Shattered Glass (2003)

Stephen Glass’ tale serves as a warning about what can—and sometimes does—go wrong with journalism. Exploiting cracks in the fact-checking process, Glass became a rising star at The New Republic until a competing magazine discovered he was simply making up his stories. Shattered Glass should make every journalist angry, but it should also make them think.

10) Spider-Man (2002)

If you made it through the first nine movies on this list, you’re also going to need a mindless action flick. As far as the plot goes, J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) perfectly balances an editor’s desire to pump up—and tear down—celebrities depending on which angle sells more papers.