All we learned about journalism from the movies
Cinema has always shown the different faces of journalism: newspapers that manage to uncover corruption plots, reporters who do not rest until the truth is brought to light, or even those who distort reality to shape the story towards what the public wants to hear.
Many films have brought the work of reporters and investigators to the big screen. In some of them, journalism has been part of the story as another character. The influence of cinema on journalism has even led to new findings in real investigations in some cases.
If you are a journalist and you love cinema, these are the 5 films you can't miss:
Citizen Kane, 1941
The Orson Welles' debut is considered a masterpiece for stablishing modern cinematic language. In this film, Charles Foster Kane opens a newspaper with good intentions, but then the perversion of journalism appears and transforms the plan.
Why do we love it? We follow the story through the series of interviews carried out by journalist J Leland.
Ace in the Hole, 1951
There are great films about journalism because they teach us what should never be done. In this film directed by Billy Wilder, a reporter tries to take advantage of a misfortune: an accident that leaves a miner trapped in a cave. The film was a commercial failure in its day because of its dark tone, but today it is still shown in journalism schools.
Why do we love it? It is quite a learning experience about what happens when journalism tries to get the story that audiences want to hear at all costs.
All the President's Men, 1976
One of the films that has aroused the most interest among journalists, and continues to do so. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's odyssey to unravel the intricacies of the Watergate scandal was impeccably and relentlessly translated to the big screen. So much so that the very genesis of the film led to new discoveries in the case.
Why do we love it? It is possibly the film that most faithfully recreates the atmosphere of a newspaper newsroom.
The Killing Fields, 1984
War reportage is one of the most successful genres on screen. Proof of this is this film, which, in addition to portraying the climate of terror in Pol Pot's Cambodia, reflects one of the key conflicts of the profession: should the reporter be a mere witness or should he get personally involved? The result is a story of fear and hope.
Why do we love it? It raises the conflict over the involvement of journalists in the information they transmit.
Zodiac, 2007
David Fincher managed to highlight the essence of All the President's Men by telling the search for the notorious assassin, never unmasked, who murdered several people in the San Francisco area in the 1960s. Zodiac is one of the films that best portrays the reporter's almost unhealthy obsession with the truth, to the point of sacrificing his personal life.
Why do we love it? The winning combination between the reporters' work and the police work to solve the case.