As exciting and important as journalism is, it”s hard to express that to the public. Most people see newspapers as boring or outdated, but the truth is that there is a lot of value in the great work of the men and women in the industry.
That”s something that Hollywood tried to capture with great films such as “Good Night and Good Luck,” “Shattered Glass” and of course, “All the President”s Men,” which tells the tale of one of the greatest investigations in the history of journalism – Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein”s report on the Watergate scandal.
Bradley Burgess
Argonaut
Recently, a new film aimed to spark interest in the field of reporting. “Spotlight,” this year”s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, tells the tale of the Boston Globe”s Spotlight investigative team who, in July 2001, took on an exhaustive investigation into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. The result not only had lasting impacts on the church, but won the Globe the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Most of “Spotlight” consists of reporters going door to door to find sources and taking thorough notes of grueling conversations with victims of sexual abuse. While some people may find the idea of this boring, the film makes it interesting and watchable. That”s why “Spotlight” is such an important film for anyone interested in reporting.
Not every story will be as major as abusive priests or Watergate, but every news story requires a time-eating commitment and due diligence on the part of the reporter. “Spotlight” molds this into a ripe drama with impeccable writing and performances, but it still shows the gritty side of investigative reporting.
Thanks to the digital revolution, getting a source is as easy as “Hey Siri.” But back in the day, reporters had to sit down and talk with sources face-to-face.
The reporters in “Spotlight” had no choice but to sit down and pursue their story and sources with little help from technology. This film not only highlights the major issues the Boston Globe team covered in the early 2000s, but also showed how journalism has changed in a short amount of time.
Watching Rachel McAdams” face as the character she portrays listens to a sexual assault victim break down was heart wrenching, and it makes the audience care about the story as much as she did.
Imagine if this story was set in 2016. Would Mark Ruffalo”s character have broken down if he Skyped with his sources? Probably not.
Just because technology has made our lives easier doesn”t mean that this kind of reporting and dedication is obsolete. When a huge story comes along, the reporters in those positions will do their homework, no matter what method they choose to do it with.
If nothing else, “Spotlight” is a reminder of how important and impactful journalism can be, and should serve as not only inspiration for aspiring journalists, but a wake up call for the newer generation of reporters. Sometimes, mixing old school with new school is a good thing.
Bradley Burgess can be reached at [email protected]