The B Section:
The creators of “The Office” announced plans for a reboot, and instead of a paper company, it will be a newspaper. A struggling one, and the editor will be trying to keep it alive with volunteer reporters.
Honestly, my first thought was, “Yeah, that is basically what is happening now.”
Not for real, but there’s a reason they say that journalists don’t do it for the money. Anyway, there was a lot of social media reaction to this from our very pessimistic fraternity. (By the way, Greg Daniels, please hire journalists to make this the rare show about newsrooms that is realistic.)
(Second thought: What are you going to do about dialogue, what with all the swears?)
So, what are my favorite journalism movies and/or TV shows? Thought you’d never ask.
1. The Paper: This is the one that got me hooked on journalism and made me a forever fan of Michael Keaton. This movie was also helped by the fact that it was set in New York City, as was I for the first 18 years of my life. I might have been the only kid under 12 who truly was invested in the rivalry between the Daily News and Post. (All I’ll say about my family’s allegiance is that when my dad brought home a Post, we knew the newsstand was out of the Daily Newses.) The newspaper rivalry, the editor trying to do the right thing, the beginner photographer busting her hump to get a break – it was like crack for me. Probably within a year of seeing this movie, I was writing for the school newspaper and looking for journalism programs in college.
2. Spotlight: This is the one that made me realize it was time to get out of journalism. By the time I saw this one, I had gotten the job I thought I’d wanted – an assistant metro editor at a smaller but mighty newspaper in Florida. Of course, when I got there, all kinds of chaos unfolded, including (a) the editor-in-chief attempting to renege on my salary (b) a retirement that had me taking on the production of about half the damn paper it seemed (c) layoffs that gutted our team and (d) just awful leadership. I watched Spotlight and realized that I wasn’t going to ever get to do that kind of important work in a newsroom because that newsroom no longer existed. It was a bittersweet recognition, but the other option was to sit around and wait to get laid off. Still, great movie!
3. All the President’s Men: A little wordy at times, probably in an attempt to make sure the viewer understood everything going on, but a masterclass in how journalism is supposed to work. And if you had told me that Robert Woodward would then be the guy who held on to juicy bits to sell books during the Trump presidency, I would have punched you in the face. But then I’d be sorry about the whole thing. I mean, how could I have known?
Dishonorable mention:
2. House of Cards (American version), Season 1: I called out this show, but several shows and films over the years have used the trope of women journalists sleeping with sources to get the scoop. First, super offensive! Second, if this were a tactic women journalists used commonly, it would backfire as said source could easily roll on her. It doesn’t make sense to take that approach for a couple bylines.
1. Never Been Kissed: A copy editor with her own office. Come on now.
Recommended reading
I am a regular The Daily listener, so I recommend it to anyone who wants to keep their finger on the pulse of the world. While mostly unserious people argue about whether climate change is real, this episode is about how it impacts American homeowners.
Tennis with Attitude Podcast, Episode 2
I don’t know if you know this, but I also have a podcast about tennis! It’s called the Tennis with Attitude podcast, named for my long-running (or –suffering, the blog might argue if it had a mouth) blog about pro tennis, my tennis, your tennis, anything tennis! The podcast idea is new for this year. Have a listen!