Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
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Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
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Five Star Final (1931) directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Five Star Final (1931) is a pre-code film that sets its lens on the seedy side of publishing. Edward G. Robinson plays the managing editor of the New York Evening Gazette, a tabloid that he’s been trying to pull itself from its sensational roots. When his publisher, citing sagging circulation numbers, convinces him to discover the murderer of a 20-year-old homicide case, the results are tragic. Viewers will be educated and entertained by the iconic Robinson, joined by Boris Karloff, who two months after the release of this picture would become infamous as the Frankenstein monster. Less amused was newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. He thought it was an attack on his business. He retaliated by publishing negative reviews of the movie and trying to convince theaters not to exhibit the film. Hearst’s troubles with cinema weren’t over. He’d soon be even more enraged by Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941). By the way, the title of Five Star Final refers to the final edition of the paper. Yes, newspapers were once not only ubiquitous, but printed multiple editions daily. A Newsjunkie’s dream. – PL
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017) documentary by Frederick Wiseman
Frederick Wiseman, who died in February 2026 at the age of 96, spent more than half a century making films that no one else would have thought to make: slow, patient, revelatory portraits of American institutions from the inside. He was a giant of documentary cinema, and his passing leaves a genuine void in a form he essentially invented. Ex Libris, his three-and-a-half-hour meditation on the New York Public Library, is as good a place as any to understand why his work matters so much right now. Wiseman simply follows the library — its librarians, its patrons, its board meetings, its community programs, its digitization projects — and what emerges is a portrait of a public knowledge institution doing exactly what public knowledge institutions are supposed to do: preserving information, democratizing access to it, and trusting the public to make use of what it finds. If you've been following our Prairie Fire coverage of data erasure and institutional erosion, or if you've spent any time with our Guide to Public Archives, you already understand what's at stake when these systems are weakened or dismantled. Wiseman makes the same argument, but in images: here are the stacks, the servers, the reading rooms, the people who depend on them. None of it is dramatic. All of it is irreplaceable. In a moment when the scaffolding of public knowledge is being quietly dismantled agency by agency, Ex Libris is a useful reminder of what we're actually trying to save, and why it took generations to build. – PL
Dynasty: The Murdochs, four-part documentary streaming on Netflix
Netflix’s four-part docuseries Dynasty: The Murdochs arrives as both history lesson and postmortem: a forensic look at Rupert Murdoch’s empire and the family war over who inherits it. Built from “thousands of documents, emails and text messages,” the series traces how one of the most powerful media machines in modern history rose—and how it began to fracture under the weight of succession, scandal, and shifting influence. Critics have compared its arc to Succession, but the reality is messier, less scripted, and arguably more consequential: a business that, as one review put it, ultimately “destroyed his family.” The real story isn’t just the Murdochs—it’s what comes after them. The series documents the peak of a media era built on broadcast dominance, editorial control, and political leverage. But as the landscape shifts toward platform-driven ecosystems and data extraction—where figures like the Ellisons and other tech dynasts operate—the Murdoch model begins to look almost analog. Dynasty captures the end of a particular kind of power: one rooted in owning newspapers, networks, and narratives. What replaces it is less visible and arguably more pervasive—control over infrastructure, data, and distribution itself. Watching Dynasty: The Murdochs now feels like watching the last act of one media order, just as another, more opaque one takes its place. – PL
American Anarchist (2016) documentary by Charlie Siskel
The Anarchist Cookbook Documentary—better known as American Anarchist (2016)—is less a historical survey than a tense, intimate conversation with a man haunted by something he wrote as a teenager. Directed by Charlie Siskel, the film centers on William Powell, who wrote the infamous 1971 book The Anarchist Cookbook at age 19 during the counterculture era and spent much of his later life trying to distance himself from it. The documentary unfolds largely as a series of interviews between Siskel and Powell, probing the book’s origins, its controversial influence, and the moral burden Powell may—or may not—carry for the violent acts sometimes linked to it. What makes the film compelling is the uneasy dynamic between filmmaker and subject. Rather than simply recount Powell’s life, Siskel pushes him repeatedly on questions of responsibility and regret. The result is sometimes uncomfortable but also revealing: Powell appears thoughtful and even remorseful, yet often defensive about the degree to which a book written in youthful anger could shape decades of real-world violence. Critics have noted that the film becomes a kind of ethical debate about authorship and consequences—how ideas escape their creators and take on lives of their own. In the end, the documentary is less about anarchism than about the enduring power of words. It raises difficult questions about free expression, radical politics, and whether an author can ever truly disown a work once it enters the public sphere. Even when the film feels confrontational or unresolved, that tension is precisely what gives it its lasting impact. – PL
Network (1976) directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky
Network is the story of Howard Beale, a veteran network news anchor (played by Peter Finch, who died before the film was theatrically released and won an Oscar for his performance posthumously), is being shown the door. His ratings are in the toilet. He opens the nightly news with a promise to kill himself live on the next day’s broadcast. This doesn’t sit well with the suits, but his longtime friend and news division president, Max Schumacher (William Holden), who is dealing with increased interference from corporate owners, doesn’t stop Beale from saying goodbye to his audience — Max’s own way of quitting in disgust. Beale, in the throes of a breakdown, unleashes his frustration, ending his broadcast by telling viewers to open their windows and scream, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” They do. Across the country. Ratings soar. Thus is born “The Mad Prophet of the Airwaves,” launching one of the most prophetic satires ever filmed. What seemed like fantasy in the mid-1970s has become reality today, with ratings, profits, and the rush to capture eyeballs corrupting all media — even the once-hallowed ground of journalism. It was a cautionary tale few paid attention to. – PL
State of Silence (2024), directed by Santiago Maza
Netflix’s State of Silence, directed by Santiago Maza and executive produced by Diego Luna, is a sobering, urgent look at what it means to practice journalism in one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The documentary follows Mexican journalists who continue investigating corruption, organized crime, and government abuse despite relentless threats, surveillance, and the very real possibility of assassination. Rather than relying on abstract statistics about press freedom, the film centers the reporters themselves — their families, their fear, and their stubborn commitment to telling stories that powerful actors would prefer remain buried. What makes the documentary particularly resonant now is how it reframes press freedom as a lived, daily negotiation rather than a constitutional guarantee. In Mexico, silence is often enforced through violence; self-censorship becomes a survival strategy. The film asks an uncomfortable question that extends beyond national borders: when journalists are intimidated into silence, who fills the void — and at what cost to democracy? It’s not just a portrait of a crisis abroad; it’s a warning about what happens when institutions fail to protect those who document the truth. – PL
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico
CBS declined to broadcast Stephen Colbert’s pre-taped interview with Texas State Rep. James Talarico, reportedly over concerns about the FCC’s equal-time rule, but the conversation quickly found a second life online. In the interview, Talarico — a Democratic state legislator, former public school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian — discusses what he calls the growing threat of Christian nationalism in Texas politics and argues that the fusion of religion and state power ultimately harms both democracy and the church. “There is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism,” he says, framing it as a pursuit of political power rather than a reflection of faith. The conversation arrives amid heated debates in the Texas Legislature over measures such as placing the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and expanding religious influence in public schools. Talarico positions himself as a faith-driven critic of those efforts, arguing that a strong separation of church and state protects religious freedom for everyone. That CBS hesitated to air the segment — even as it later posted the full interview online — only amplified the moment, underscoring the uneasy intersection of politics, media regulation, and late-night television in a particularly charged election year. – PL
On the Media, “Armed Only With a Camera”
This recent segment from WNYC Studio’s weekly radio show and podcast, On the Media, hosted by Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger, revisits the story behind Armed Only With a Camera, the Oscar-nominated documentary made by Craig Renaud after his brother, journalist Brent Renaud, was killed by Russian soldiers while covering the war in Ukraine in 2022 — the first American journalist to die in that conflict. When Craig learned Brent had been shot, he did what the brothers had always done together: he kept filming. Using that footage alongside years of shared archival material, Craig and producer Juan Arredondo created a film that is both a deeply personal tribute and a broader salute to war journalists still risking their lives to document conflict. In this conversation, Craig reflects on their early days in journalism and the bond that shaped their work, offering a moving reminder of the human cost behind frontline reporting. – PL
The Insider (1999) directed by Michael Mann
The Insider (1999), directed by Michael Mann, is a tense and morally driven journalism drama based on the true story of tobacco-industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand and 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman. The film chronicles Wigand’s decision to expose how major cigarette companies manipulated nicotine levels while concealing the health consequences, and it reveals the immense personal, legal, and corporate pressure that followed. More than a whistleblower thriller, The Insider is a powerful meditation on institutional power, newsroom politics, and the fragile line between truth-telling and self-preservation in broadcast journalism. Anchored by towering performances from Russell Crowe and Al Pacino, the film remains one of the most compelling portrayals of investigative reporting and the costs of speaking publicly against entrenched systems. – PL
Inside “The Noise War”: A field manual for journalists fighting disinformation
In Inside “The Noise War”: A Field Manual for Journalists Fighting Disinformation, national security correspondent J.J. Green joins E&P Reports host Mike Blinder to discuss his new book, The Noise War: How to Fight Disinformation and Find the Truth When Everything Is Lying to You, which frames modern journalism as being on the frontline of an information battle where lies spread faster than facts. Drawing on decades covering conflict zones and intelligence, Green argues that disinformation has evolved into a weaponized assault on truth that corrodes public trust and fractures societies, and he offers practical strategies for reporters—from “pre-bunking” expected false narratives before they spread to planning newsroom responses to coordinated attacks on credibility. His book is pitched not as theory but as a daily field manual for journalists navigating today’s chaotic media environment, where information overload can exhaust audiences and erode confidence in legitimate reporting. – PL
Channel 5 – Interview with Nick Shirley
In this episode of Channel 5, host Andrew Callaghan sits down with Nick Shirley, a YouTube creator known for confrontational, street-level interviews that probe political identity, internet radicalization, and youth culture. The conversation explores Shirley’s methods, motivations, and the ethical gray areas of viral man-on-the-street content, with Callaghan pushing on where provocation ends and journalism begins. Channel 5 is Callaghan’s independent media project—best known for immersive, unscripted reporting that documents American subcultures and political extremes with minimal narration—continuing the gonzo-adjacent approach that first gained attention under All Gas No Brakes. – PL
All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception and the Spirit of I.F. Stone directed by Fred Peabody
All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception and the Spirit of I.F. Stone is a bracing documentary built around the legacy of I.F. Stone, the fiercely independent American journalist who, during the Cold War, exposed government deception by painstakingly reading public records. Using Stone’s model as a throughline, the film profiles contemporary reporters working outside mainstream institutions, arguing that skeptical, document-driven journalism remains essential at a time when official narratives go too often unchallenged—and when the costs of challenging them are increasingly high. – PL
Breaking the News, directed by Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez
Breaking the News offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build a newsroom from scratch in a moment of deep upheaval for American journalism. The documentary follows the founding team of The 19th, a nonprofit news organization launched to cover politics, gender, and power with an explicit focus on communities long underserved by legacy media. Rather than centering on a single investigation, the film traces the day-to-day work of reporting, fundraising, and decision-making, revealing how editorial ideals collide with the practical realities of sustainability. Breaking the News is less a victory lap than a sober portrait of journalism in transition, making it essential viewing for anyone interested in how newsrooms are reimagining their role—and their survival—in the digital age. – PL
The New Yorker at 100 Directed by Marshall Curry
As The New Yorker marks its centennial, The New Yorker at 100 offers a rich, immersive look at one of America’s most influential magazines. The film traces the magazine’s evolution from its early satirical essays and cartoons to its enduring legacy in longform reporting, cultural criticism, and narrative journalism. Featuring interviews with current and former editors, writers, and cultural commentators, the program highlights defining moments in New Yorker history—legendary profiles, groundbreaking investigative work, and the editorial philosophy that prioritized depth over immediacy. More than a retrospective, The New Yorker at 100 invites viewers to consider the magazine’s role in shaping public discourse and the craft of journalism itself. It’s essential viewing for anyone fascinated by how storytelling and reporting intersect in a rapidly changing media landscape. – PL
Cover Up documentary film produced and directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus
Cover Up is the kind of journalism documentary that plays like a character study and a warning flare at the same time: it follows the career of legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh—the guy whose scoops helped expose atrocities and lies from My Lai to Abu Ghraib—and uses his decades-long fight with power as a lens on what it costs to keep digging when governments would rather you didn’t. The film doesn’t turn Hersh into a saint; it leans into his sharp edges, his stubbornness, and the messy, human mechanics of how major accountability reporting actually happens. It’s bracing, sometimes darkly funny, and weirdly energizing in an era when “cover-up” feels less like a plot point and more like a daily headline. Currently, in theater, streaming on Netflix Dec. 26. – PL
Citizenfour (2014) documentary film directed by Laura Poitras
Citizenfour is part newsroom thriller, part history-in-the-making. Director Laura Poitras drops viewers into the Hong Kong hotel room where Edward Snowden first meets journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, and the film’s power comes from how ordinary the setting feels next to the scale of what’s being revealed: a global surveillance apparatus hiding in plain sight. There’s no heavy-handed narration, just the tight, tense choreography of phones being bagged, laptops being encrypted, and big decisions getting made in real time. Even if you think you already know the story, Citizenfour hits differently now—as a portrait of how information moves, how institutions protect themselves, and how quickly the line between “security” and public surveillance can blur. – PL
Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People
Joseph Pulitzer was a Jewish Hungarian immigrant who transformed American journalism and helped define the role of a free press in a democratic society. He lands on the shores of United States with little more than ambition and becomes a pioneering newspaper publisher, who’s innovations include investigative reporting, crusading editorials and a talent for mass-appeal storytelling and muckraking. You might know him from the Pulitzer Prize, still being awarded annually, but there’s much more to this visionary whose impact on the news continues to this day. -PL
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All the President’s Men (1976) directed by Alan J. Pakula
Fifty years ago, the United States was celebrating its independence—its 200th birthday, to be precise. Flags were flying, parades were marching, and fireworks were filling the skies with color and noise. It was also just a few years after the Watergate scandal and the only presidential resignation in the nation's history. It might seem odd that the big movie of that summer was All the President's Men, an adaptation of the book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward—two reporters for The Washington Post who broke the story of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. But the film, a celebration of journalism's power to expose corruption at the highest levels of government, is more American than hot dogs, apple pie, and baseball. The constitutionally protected freedom of the press is what saves a democracy from tyranny—something worth remembering as the country approaches its 250th birthday, especially if we want to be around for the 300th. Beyond all that, it's a terrific movie, and possibly the only one that climaxes in a newsroom with a closeup of a teletype machine spitting out copy. – PL