Truth is sacrosanct in
journalism. It is the thread that holds the very fabric of the journalistic
world together. But what happens when the facts of a published story, the
revered 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and 1 H (how), are just fictional? The
whole journalistic medium comes apart at the seams.
Director: Billy Ray
Film Clip
Shattered Glass is a film that captures
the unravelling of this scenario by detailing the life of a reporter who
concocts tall tales in the guise of truth. Based on the real life of the
infamous print journalist Stephen Glass, the movie is a lesson in media ethics
and a cautionary story for media professionals.
Directed by
Billy Ray, the movie plays out like a suspenseful thriller. The movie is set in
the late 90s, at a time when Stephen Glass, played by Hayden Christensen, was
at the height of his career. This young, ambitious and affable reporter was a
rising star at The New Republic, a
magazine known for its strong political analysis and commentary. The movie
depicts how Glass circumvented the editorial process of fact-checking and
source verification. The editor at the magazine, played by Peter Sarsgaard exposes
Glass’ tenuous web of lies. We watch as Glass’ meteoric rise to fame comes
crashing down in a devastating fall from grace.
The story of
Stephen Glass is not an isolated one. In 2003, Jayson Blair from the New York Times was also convicted in a
similar scandal for manufacturing stories. Renowned Indian journalists have
also been accused of breeching journalistic ethics. Numerous reporters have
been accused of plagiarism, having a close mutually-beneficial nexus to
politicians and corporates, and partaking in paid news.
Journalists
have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of their position as the fourth
estate. But the abuse of this power, as evidenced in the film, has catastrophic
consequences.
- Parinitha Shinde
No comments:
Post a Comment