American Newspaper Journalists on Film: Portrayals of the Press During the Sound Era

When talking pictures first appeared in cinema theaters in the late 1920s, representations of newspaper journalists quickly became a Hollywood mainstay, resulting in a variety of responses from working reporters, editors, and photographers. The newspaper film was a popular genre in the 1950s, and famous films such as All the President’s Men (1976) and Spotlight (2015) have brought the power of the press to life since then. Journalists have also been portrayed in films that aren’t specifically about newspapers, appearing in noir films like Woman on the Run (1950), westerns such as Fort Worth (1951), comedies like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), musicals like Wake Up and Live (1937) and historical epics like Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

A film historian and former newspaper writer, the author investigates how accurately films have portrayed journalists across the decades. The book also details what journalists thought of the depictions at the time, contributing to brief histories and analyses for each film. Featured journalist archetypes include airy reporters, screaming editors, photographers, sportswriters and war journalists. Classics, misfires, westerns, obscure treasures and films the press both adored and detested are all included in this comprehensive filmography.