Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film

Richard R. Ness

From All the President’s Men to Zodiac, some of the most compelling films of the last century have featured depictions of journalists in action.

While print journalism struggles to survive, the emergence of news from social media outlets continues to expand, allowing the world to be kept informed on a second-bysecond basis. Despite attacks on journalists—both verbal and physical—a free press remains a crucial bastion for civilized society. And just as the daily news reflects the current state of affairs, films about journalism represent how reporting has evolved over the last few centuries.

In Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film, Richard R. Ness provides a comprehensive examination of the fourth estate in cinema—from newspaper reporters to today’s cyber journalists. In this volume, Ness provides in-depth descriptions and analyses of more than five hundred significant films, from the silent era to the present, including international productions and made-for-television movies. The entries focus on the image of the press on screen and ethical issues or concerns raised about the practices of the profession. Collectively, the entries demonstrate that there is a recognizable genre of journalism films with definable plot patterns and iconography. Each entry features:

Major credits including directors, writers, and producers
List of characters and the actors who portray them
Running time
Plot synopsis
Analysis of the role of journalism

Many of the entries feature critical reviews as well as cogent selections of dialogue. Films discussed here include comedies such as His Girl Friday (1940), nail-biting thrillers like Foreign Correspondent (1940) and The Parallax View (1974), social commentaries like Network (1976) and The China Syndrome (1979), dramas like Citizen Kane (1941) and The Post (2017), and of course, Academy Award winners All the President’s Men (1976) and Spotlight (2015). A definitive study of a film genre, Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film will be of interest to film scholars, researchers, journalists, and students of popular culture.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 532 • Trim: 8¾ x 11¾

978-1-5381-0359-3 • Hardback • January 2020 • $150.00 • (£100.00)

978-1-5381-0360-9 • eBook • January 2020 • $142.50 • (£95.00)

Subjects: Reference / Encyclopedias, Art / Film & Video

Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film

Hardback

eBook

Summary

From All the President’s Men to Zodiac, some of the most compelling films of the last century have featured depictions of journalists in action.

While print journalism struggles to survive, the emergence of news from social media outlets continues to expand, allowing the world to be kept informed on a second-bysecond basis. Despite attacks on journalists—both verbal and physical—a free press remains a crucial bastion for civilized society. And just as the daily news reflects the current state of affairs, films about journalism represent how reporting has evolved over the last few centuries.

In Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film, Richard R. Ness provides a comprehensive examination of the fourth estate in cinema—from newspaper reporters to today’s cyber journalists. In this volume, Ness provides in-depth descriptions and analyses of more than five hundred significant films, from the silent era to the present, including international productions and made-for-television movies. The entries focus on the image of the press on screen and ethical issues or concerns raised about the practices of the profession. Collectively, the entries demonstrate that there is a recognizable genre of journalism films with definable plot patterns and iconography. Each entry features:
- Major credits including directors, writers, and producers
- List of characters and the actors who portray them
- Running time
- Plot synopsis
- Analysis of the role of journalism
Many of the entries feature critical reviews as well as cogent selections of dialogue. Films discussed here include comedies such as His Girl Friday (1940), nail-biting thrillers like Foreign Correspondent (1940) and The Parallax View (1974), social commentaries like Network (1976) and The China Syndrome (1979), dramas like Citizen Kane (1941) and The Post (2017), and of course, Academy Award winners All the President’s Men (1976) and Spotlight (2015). A definitive study of a film genre, Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film will be of interest to film scholars, researchers, journalists, and students of popular culture.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 532 • Trim: 8¾ x 11¾

978-1-5381-0359-3 • Hardback • January 2020 • $150.00 • (£100.00)

978-1-5381-0360-9 • eBook • January 2020 • $142.50 • (£95.00)

Subjects: Reference / Encyclopedias, Art / Film & Video

Author

Richard R. Ness is professor of journalism at Western Illinois University. He is the author of Alan Rudolph: Romance and a Crazed World (1996) and From Headline Hunter to Superman: A Journalism Filmography (Scarecrow Press, 1997).

Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film

Richard R. Ness

Encyclopedia of Journalists on Film

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