From my review in The American Conservative:
To chase down the conspiracy, Russell Crowe’s veteran reporter teams up with a callow blogger (the ever-perky Rachel McAdams of “Wedding Crashers”). Much banter about the rivalry between print and online journalism ensues. Yet the movie misses the key personality difference between traditional media and the more Aspergery culture of the Web: newspaper reporters converse constantly, while Web people prefer Google to human contact. Young Matthew Yglesias, for instance, recently declared on his blog, “Definitely the whole time I was employed at The Atlantic I never once returned a voicemail. … In general, I’m not a fan of talking on the phone ...”
The movie portrays Crowe’s aging reporter as a solitary man, trudging alone to confront the powerful in their lairs. In reality, as Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop made clear, traditional reporters are most comfortable in packs, where they can gauge what’s “appropriate” to ask and to write from the consensus of their colleagues.
Just when the strident soundtrack (synthesizers and militaristic drums relentlessly barking “Tense up!”) and now-mandatory Shaky-Cam cinematography have almost ruined a decent if predictable story, an amusingly florid Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) shows up as a hedonistic public relations consultant, seemingly to contrast the greed of the flack with the nobility of the crusading journalist. The film’s countless screenwriters, though, are aware that reporters, such as the New York Times’ Judith Miller, who pipelined so much pro-Iraq war propaganda, are often just more respectable PR agents, publicizing messages in return for access to newsmakers.
From there, the movie keeps departing from its earlier Vast Corporate Conspiracy rut, ending with a plot twist that, while contrived, is surprisingly realistic.
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9 comments:
Another jarring note would be the fact that the blogger is a girl. Im sure the sex-ratio aspect of blogging has been done on iSteve before.
"In reality, as Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop made clear, traditional reporters are most comfortable in packs, where they can gauge what’s “appropriate” to ask and to write from the consensus of their colleagues."
And yet the Internet HASN'T ushered a new age of honest, independent journalism. I love places like iSteve, but they're a fringe. From what I understand, before the advent of the Web such opinions were disseminated by newsletters. Has their audience grown? Probably by a little bit. Has that had any real-world impact? None whatsoever. Life is getting more PC, not less PC with every year. The left has advanced, not retreated since the Web broke through in 1995. It's depressing, but true - the Web has been a political dud.
There are probably more succesful female bloggers than there are successful female journalists, and from all ends of the political spectrum - Wonkette, Althouse, Malkin, Marcotte, Hullabaloo, Hilzoy, Atlas etc, etc.
probably more succesful female bloggers than there are successful female journalists, and from all ends of the political spectrum - Wonkette, Althouse, Malkin, Marcotte, Hullabaloo, Hilzoy, Atlas.
But not more than successful male bloggers.
anon,
re the Internet being a political dud.
I can think of at least one major political issue that was stopped by an Internet campaign:the campaign to stop Congress legalizing millions of illegals.
I also think that Internet will soon produce online only newspapers with the authority and news gathering capabilities of the MSM.
Pure economics will bring this about and I expect some MSM outlets to do it as well but the MSM's PC politics will not make the transition.
Richard London
Blogging is by definition easier to do part-time than professional journalism. So it's got great potential to let busy women have a voice - especially the kind of women who wouldn't have time otherwise because they're taking care of kids. These are the kind of naturally conservative women we need in politics - a welcome alternative to the screechy, barren feminists.
Richard, I agree that the Internet is changing politics. I do think it's had a big role in the immigration debate. As recently as 4 years ago, it was anathema to post a (polite) anti-immigrant message on a mainstream forum. Now those types of messages are the norm. Just letting people see that they (and their lying eyes) aren't alone has a hugely powerful effect on perception of this issue.
Speaking of both The American Conservative and the imminent demise of print media, is the magazine on the brink of collapse or not? After seeing the brief "the next issue may be our last" item that appeared this week, I expected that you, Larison, etc. would have similar "please help" items on your blogs, but no such posts have been made. Has the crisis passed, or is collapse so inevitable that you're resigned to your fate?
The internet was most useful in exposing PC Liberal frauds:
Dan RaTHerGate, i.e. the phony Texas Air National Guard documents.
Fauxtography during the Israeli-Hezbollah War.
Politically, the Tea Parties and the actions against Amnesty were all internet driven.
Liberals and SWPL yuppies already have orthodoxy through the newspapers, TV, NPR, etc. The internet allows an end-run around it, and so it's no surprise that screenwriters/directors, being SWPL central, would look down on the internet or fail to grasp the essential truth:
Nearly all corporations are extremely SWPL-yuppie Liberal.
How to make a movie:
Get a large number of writers. Pick a standard trite plot. Reverse the realities: the wrestler should be a woman and the day care employee should be a man. (Best to make things 180 degrees out of phase from reality, if possible.) Then shake the camera unmercifully, as if the cameraman (oops, cameraperson!) is on drugs. Slather on a pounding, ugly, deeply unpleasant score.
Be sure to get bright idealistic people to create special computer effects. They will pour massive ingenuity, creativity, and love into the depiction of an alien dildo or the like. Or into making a schmuck like Adam Sandler look good.
Run a long list of end credits thanking the hundreds of relatives and relatives of relatives you stabbed in the back - um, worked with.
Voila! You made a movie.
Now rinse and repeat until the drugs or the tax people catch up with you.
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