It was the movie that launched a thousand journalism careers. Every
wet-behind-the-ear J-school student writing his or her first story
hopes to one day uncover a scandal like the journalistic heroes in
this 1976 film.
It was the book that taught journalists to “follow the money” and it
was the movie that for the first time in recorded history made
journalists a tad sexy. That is why “All the President’s Men” is
journalists’ favorite movie.
The movie and the book gave journalists their first modern day
superstars – the Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. The
two went on to unravel the Watergate scandal and bring down a United
States president.
From the opening scene of the sound of typewriters in the Post’s
newsroom to meeting with Deep Throat, it was a story straight from
every journalist’s wet dream. And every journalist wanted a editor like
Ben Bradlee. The movie is responsible for a generation of newshounds
hoping for their chance to bring down the man.
The movie encapsulates an ideal time of journalism. A time when big
metro papers ruled the news landscape, when newsrooms were populated
with ambitious and eager journalists and people still cared for and
were willing to pay for their news.
Nowadays, journalists are endangered species in newsrooms and
instead of following the money, because newspapers are hemorrhaging
money, they are stuck in a world of endless soft coverage while plagued
with reputations of being inaccurate and elitist and/or liberal. Back
then, saying you were a journalist could score a free drink from the
bartender and a number for the blonde sitting alone. Today, journalists
are less respected then trial lawyers and dentists.
Still, journalists endure the perils that come with the profession
because they all know there is a sequel to “All thePresident’s Men” out
there somewhere.
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Have to admit it’s one of my favourite movies!