The Foreigner
Directed by Michael Oblowitz, 2003.
A freelance agent becomes embroiled in political corruption and violent conflict when he agrees to transport an unknown package from France to Germany.
The Front Page
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, 1974.
An editor convinces a top Chicago reporter ready to leave the profession for a quieter life to stay on and write about an insane murderer set to go to the gallows.
Good Night and Good Luck
George Clooney wrote, directed and starred, 2005.
The story of CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow’s crusade to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s.
The Green Hornet
Directed by Michel Gondry, 2011.
A playboy who inherits the position of LA Times publisher from his recently deceased father starts a crime-fighting duo with his driver.
His Girl Friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, 1940.
A newspaper editor tries to frame his ex-wife’s new fiancée in order to prevent her from remarrying and convince her to return to his paper’s staff.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Simon Pegg and Megan Fox, 2008.
Based on Toby Young’s memoir about a British writer trying to fit in at a high-profile New York magazine.
The Hunting Party
Richard Gere and Terrence Howard, 2007.
A contingent of journalists endanger themselves when they search for Bosnia’s number one war criminal, but they are mistaken for CIA operatives.
I Love Trouble
Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte, 1994.
Two rival Chicago reporters team up to investigate the real story behind a train derailment and fall for each other despite the ongoing competition.
The Insider
Russell Crowe and Al Pacino, 1999.
A research chemist risks his career and his personal life when he appears on 60 Minutes to talk about Big Tobacco.
Journeys with George
Directed by Alexandra Pelosi and Aaron Lubarsky, 2002.
Documentary that follows reporters covering George W. Bush on the campaign trail.
The Killing Fields
Sam Waterson and Haing S. Ngor, 1984.
A New York Times journalist covers the Civil War in Cambodia with help from a local photographer who risks his life to stay and cover the war.
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
Angela Winkler and Mario Adorf, 1975.
German film about a young maid who is slandered by the press after being involved with a man whom she didn’t know was a terrorist.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
John Wayne and James Stewart, 1962.
A senator who had supposedly killed an outlaw reveals the truth to a local newspaper in this Western.
The Mean Season
Kurt Russell and Mariel Hemingway, 1985.
A murderer tips off a Miami reporter who covered his trial that he is going to kill again, putting a wedge in the reporter’s plans to leave Miami.
Meet John Doe
Directed by Frank Capra, 1941.
A disgruntled, fired reporter fabricates the story of a man threatening to commit suicide as a protest of social ills and unwittingly begins a political movement.
Never Been Kissed
Drew Barrymore and David Arquette, 1999.
A young journalist goes undercover at her old high school, but must make difficult decisions about her career and her cover when she falls for a teacher.
Network
Directed by Sidney Lumet, 1976.
A lagging network fires a news anchor and goes on to exploit his descent into madness for its own ratings and profit.
Nothing But the Truth
Written/Directed by Rod Lurie, 2008.
A Washington, D.C. columnist publishes a story about the president ignoring CIA findings, but she faces arrest when she refuses to reveal her source.
Nothing Sacred
Directed by William A. Wellman, 1937.
After discovering her deadly case of radium poisoning was misdiagnosed, a factory worker travels to New York where a reporter decides that he can use her story to turn his career around.
The Paper
Michael Keaton and Glenn Close, 1994.
A New York tabloid editor considers leaving his tabloid for a quieter paper, but a juicy story complicates the decision.
The Parallax View
Warren Beatty and Paula Prentiss, 1977.
A reporter discovers a multinational company’s far-reaching conspiracy as he investigates the assassination of a senator and resulting deaths of reporters present during the assassination.
Interestingly, 'The Front Page' (1931) and especially its remake 'His Girl Friday' (1940) depict exactly the kind of behavior that is getting Rupert Murdoch and his minions in hot water these days - but have a record of being admired by 'media people', including journalists. Maybe because it is one of the funniest comedies ever. (In my opinion, the funniest.) Challenge to viewers: find the gay character, there are only one or two sly lines that give it away. He is a figure of humor, of course. Times change.
Another newspaper picture from the same era, 'Five Star Final' (1931) treats the subject of tabloid sensationalism and harm done to ordinary people more seriously.
#1 Posted by Mark Richard, CJR on Fri 29 Jul 2011 at 07:48 PM
BTW, anyone watching the George Seldes documentary should actually go back and read some of Seldes' pieces from 'In Fact' magazine during the 1940 presidential campaign. Anyone who couldn't distinguish Wendell Willkie from Adolf Hitler had serious reality issues.
#2 Posted by Mark Richard, CJR on Fri 29 Jul 2011 at 07:51 PM