Tag Archives: Journalist

This is a very entertaining movie but also delivers great moral values in terms of justice and journalism standards. It’s a romantic story between a naïve but well-meaning journalist Megan Carter (Sally Field) and a son of the wholesale merchant Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman). It’s an enlighten lesson to learn the responsibility in the press and public administration.  I like all characters in the movie and also the story. They are “not true but accurate,” just as the story portrays the idea of “truth” in the movie.

Certainly the prime responsibility of a journalist is to report the truth but something more important is: how to get the facts and deliver the story in the right way?

What major two journalistic sins does she commit in this film? Firstly, she allows the facts of a secret investigation to be leaked to her. She prints an unattributed story about the investigation. Secondly, she becomes “personally involved with the subject of the investigation.” Then she prints another story she should never have printed, and as a result an innocent bystander commits suicide.

“Absence of Malice does not invalidate All the President’s Men,” commented by Time magazine’s Richard Schickel. However, many interesting and unforgettable conversations reveal the conflict of the journalist Carter about her unaware wrong-doings leaks.

James A. Wells, Assistant U.S. Attorney General tells Megan in the last scene before Megan tries to prove her innocence.

“You know and I know that we can’t tell you what to print or what not to. We hope the press will act responsibly, but when you don’t, there ain’t a lot we can do about it. We can’t have people go around leaking stuff for their own reasons. It ain’t legal. And worse than that, by God it ain’t right.”

Lawyer Davidek talks to Megan that she should confirm her source before she publishes the story.

“That as a matter of law, the truth is irrelevant. We have no knowledge the story is false, therefore we’re absent malice. We’ve been both reasonable and prudent, therefore we’re not negligent. We can say what we like about him; he can’t do us harm. Democracy is served.”

She is a good reporter and she loves her work, but she doesn’t have a mindset being a responsible one, who does things professionally and legally. “It’s really very simple. I can hurt someone or not hurt someone. No rules.” I go through her conflicts and confuse as the movie moves forward and I end up with a clear idea of being a good and professional journalist.

Update: Though we’re not journalist students, but I found the guidelines to write a report is  quite helpful. Here is the NYU Journalism Handbook for Students Ethics, Law and Good Practice, which covers “off-the-record”, fact-checking information that we discussed in this class.

Link: http://journalism.nyu.edu/assets/PageSpecificFiles/Ethics/NYU-Journalism-Handbook-for-Students.pdf

Sidi