Mass Media & Society - Assignment #1

Since their origin, the media have struggled with ethical, moral, and legal issues, no more so than today. Whether it is an individual on social media or a powerful news organization, ideas of accuracy, fairness, social obligation, personal privacy, and protection affect not only what we consume, but determine what we should publish as well. These are some of the major questions we currently face. Hopefully, the films listed below will move us closer to finding an answer.

These titles are all rentable on Amazon at a low rate. They will figure prominently in many of our class discussions. Your assignment is to watch all of them by the end of January. The possibility for extra credit review and analysis will also be made available based on these viewings.

“All the President’s Men” (1976)

Sometimes it’s not all about speaking truth to power, but about seeking truth made difficult and dangerous to find through a maze of detours and roadblocks thrown up by the powerful. This film, based on real events, tells the story of two junior reporters whose investigation eventually led to the resignation of a U.S. President.

“Ace in the Hole” (1951)

This tale of an unethical and disgraced journalist is writer/director Billy Wilder at his cynical and acidic best. Kirk Douglas plays a reporter who sees the chance to rescue his damaged career in the story of a man trapped in a New Mexico mine. What follows is a taste of opportunistic exploitation, bitter to the last drop.

 “Good Night and Good Luck” (2005)

In 1954, reporter and television commentator Edward R. Murrow went up against Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his witch-hunt against perceived Communism in the U.S. Government. It was not an easy decision to take on the Senator. His popularity was strong. His tactics had already ruined the careers of many prominent Americans who found themselves blacklisted because of his demagoguery.

 

“Nightcrawler” (2014)

Jake Gyllenhaal plays an ambitious, freelance crime reporter who doesn’t let ethical, moral, or even legal questions stand in his way. This dark, unflinching character study is also a biting satire on the current state of exploitation in modern media.