Meeting the Press: American Journalism in Cinema

American journalism is in transition. Some say it’s in free fall. What should the role of journalism be? Are journalists truth tellers, manipulators, or something in between? Can we trust the press? And what will media look like in the second quarter of the 21st century? 

American journalists have long been a rich subject for film. Filmmakers have questioned actions, followed escapades, celebrated integrity, and chronicled transgressions. Many of today’s journalists report that they were inspired to become journalists thanks to the way in which the profession was characterized as a “sacred calling” on screen. Viewers report that film stories of the press often made them more suspicious of what was being reported. 

In this course, we’ll sweep through the history of American journalists on film, from classics like His Girl Friday (1941, dir: Howard Hawkes) and All the President’s Men (1976, dir: Alan J. Pakula), to the present day. We will trace the evolving depiction of journalists in film, the dearth of women and people of color in journalism films, and the questions these films invite about the media of the future. 

We’ll discuss overarching questions about journalism, at a moment when the profession writ large is under fire, and explore cinematic image vs. reality about the field in 2025. 

Classes meet Wednesdays, January 7 through February 11, from 10:00 am – 1:15 pm. 

Classes are only available for purchase as a package, not as individual sessions.

ABOUT JUDI FREEMAN 

Judi Freeman is a historian and educator, the author of 10 books and numerous articles. For much of her career, Ms. Freeman was an art museum curator and educator, specializing in modern art, at museums from the National Gallery of Art to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and a secondary educator, teaching 20th-21st century history, most notably as the Seevak Chair in History at Boston Latin School. With degrees from Vassar, Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Tufts universities, Ms. Freeman has integrated the history of film into much of her work. She is currently at work on a new biography of legendary American foreign correspondent and columnist Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961).