The sensational and glamorous side of journalism has attracted filmmakers over the years. Comic behind-the-scenes, as well as intriguing scandals, have been dug out from the unknown side of the media like a skilled reporter and they have been presented in the most cinematic ways. As some plots take a peek into the circulation of fake news and rivalry between different news media, some other stories peek into softer journalism like fashion magazines. These movies will share the minute details of the profession as well as the occupational antics and can be streamed on Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos and Disney+ Hotstar.
- Network (1976 film)- This satirical drama is about the struggles of a fictional television network in New York City called UBS Evening News. A long-term anchor Howard Beale is asked to resign due to low viewership of the channel and poor ratings. Grieving the state of journalism, he gets drunk and the next day during his live morning show, he announces that he’ll commit suicide the next Tuesday while on air. This causes the ratings to shoot up as he uses it to his advantage. This film won four academy awards.
- Rann (2010 film)- The story revolves around Jai who ties up with a corrupt politician to frame the PM in a terrorist attack. He attempts to attract a huge audience to his father, Vijay Harshawardhan Malik’s struggling TV channel by covering the story. The plan is a successful post which a reporter from Malik’s channel, Purab discovers the truth and reveals it to Malik. This turn of events provides life-changing decisions in the story.
- Good Night and Good Luck (2005 film)- This is a historical drama by George Clooney that addresses the responsibility of news media and what dissent from policies of the government means to it. This movie is set in the early days of TV journalism and broadcast as it revolves around an experienced TV and radio journalist Edward R Murrow and his clashes with the ideologies and actions of U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy.
- Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000 film)- This Bollywood comedy-drama showcases harsh realities of life as it’s starred by Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla as reporters from rival news media. They are always trying to put each other down but come together to provide justice to a girl who was raped by a politician.
- Spotlight (2015 film)- This is an Academy award-winning biographical movie that follows the investigation of Boston Globe’s Spotlight team into sex abuse of children by the priests of an area. The team of reporters interview victims and work hard to unravel the truth.
- Page 3 (2005 film)- Highlighting the celebrity and media culture of Mumbai, this film is about a young aspiring journalist who moves to Mumbai and gets assigned as a reporter for Bollywood beat. Her experiences are far from her expectations and as she is transferred to the crime reporting department, she faces the unglamorous side of the industry.
