Two weeks ago I blogged about the journalism v. blogging debate and this week after reading reviews for the new movie "State of Play," I got to thinking about it again.
I think that it is very telling of the relevance and newsworthiness of the changes going on in journalism that a movie was made about it and with so many A-lister actors and actresses (Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, and Helen Mirren).
From my review reading, I've found that Crowe plays a well-respected, veteran investigative reporter who is somewhat in professional competition with newbie young blogger McAdams. Crowe tries to teach her the ways of thorough old-school print journalism but McAdams is much to concerned with turning out copy every hour on the hour to heed his advice. With another 2009 relevancy twist, Mirren plays the fictional newspaper's editor, who is under constant pressure by the paper's new corporate owners to cut costs, re-design the all-important front page, and produce quick news rather than taking time to uncover not as obvious stories.
The film's storyline seems to have so much to do with the current crises in the newspaper world that, as a journalist, I cannot wait to see how the film plays them out.
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The movie was pretty good! I liked it and would definitely recommend seeing it, especially since us journalism majors can appreciate it a lot more than most of our friends. The movie focused a great deal on investigative reporting and journalism ethics--most topics we have covered in our various reporting and editing classes. It was really interesting to see ethical issues played out in a real journalism situation and see what types of things to consider in order to make the right, or most ethical decision. I don't want to give anything away but go see it!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of the movie "Resurrecting the Champ" with Samuel Jackson and Josh Hartnett. Though it doesn't speak to the journalism issues you described from "State of Play", it definitely touches on fact checking and the trust between a writer and editor. I would recommend it.
ReplyDeleteHmm, sounds like an interesting film. The issues seem pretty relevant, especially for us. The Crowe vs. McAdams competition sounds very much like the current struggle between print and online journalism. After reading this, I'd definitely like to see this sometime.
ReplyDeleteI find it kind of funny that just as this movie came out there's another movie about journalism that just came out. This one's called "Nothing But the Truth," and tackles a different side of the field, dealing with confidentiality of sources. Looks like it could be pretty good but seems to be set more as a thriller by looking at the trailer.
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