Journalism in American Film, Part 2: The Insider and Shattered Glass
Films about journalism are entertaining and remind us of the need to preserve an honest and free press to defend our fragile democracy.
By Alan Herrmann
FILM CRITIC
Editor’s Note: Read Part I in this series on journalism in film.
What happens when the actions of individuals within news publications and organizations hinder their own set of ideals by altering, suppressing, or fabricating stories? Two excellent films that address that question come to mind: The Insider (1999) and Shattered Glass (2003). One deals with the corporate pressure to suppress a story, and the other is about a popular journalist who betrays his peers by tarnishing the reputation of the publication he works for.
In 1994, the CEOs of seven major tobacco companies — referred to as the “seven dwarfs” — testified before Congress that nicotine is not addictive. This caused a major uproar with the public and in the media. The after-effects of the testimony caused more aggressive investigations into the tobacco industry.
In 1999, the slightly fictionalized film The Insider was released and chronicled an investigation led by Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), producer of the CBS news program 60 Minutes. In the course of the investigation, he meets Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), a top scientist at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, who has been let go. Knowing his termination was unjust and the reason very flimsy, Wigand, with encouragement from Bergman, turns whistleblower and agrees to a 60 Minutes interview.
Just when it appears details are moving along smoothly, things go south very quickly. Wigand and his family are threatened by Brown & Williamson and his past is put under a microscope. Then CBS airs an edited version of the interview for fear of a lawsuit that could harm the potential purchase of CBS by Westinghouse corporation. This infuriates both Wigand and Bergman and dramatically changes the lives of both men.
Pacino does a wonderful job as Bergman, the passionate newsman who prides himself on his integrity, trying to ensure Wigand that he and CBS will protect him at all costs. When it becomes clear that this is not the case, and CBS caves to corporate and legal pressure, Pacino gets to do what he does best: he gets pissed off and loud, delivering great lines that stir our blood.
But it’s Crowe’s performance that is the most authentic. He shows Wigand’s multi-dimensional character: the quiet and slightly awkward scientist, the patient and loving husband and father, and the angry, pressed-upon victim of injustice and betrayal.
Considering the current condition of our country, The Insider is more difficult to watch now than when I first viewed it in 1999. The question of both corporate and journalistic integrity looms large, with outlets struggling to find a balance between being news organizations and corporations, just as CBS struggled in the film.
By contrast, Shattered Glass is a very different tale where journalistic integrity is marred by an individual who nearly ruins a publication, The New Republic, by craftily inventing stories that appear to be authentic.
Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) is a young and gifted writer who has charmed many of the magazine’s staff with his funny anecdotes around the conference table, his flattering compliments, and his ability to garner sympathy from his peers. He is rapidly becoming the darling of The New Republic when a fact check uncovers information from an article by Glass that can’t be substantiated.
A new editor from within the ranks, Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), suspects this isn’t a one-off and investigates Glass’s previous articles. Meanwhile, Caitlin Avey (Chloe Sevigny), who sees Lane as cold-hearted, comes to Glass’s defense, claiming he is under too much pressure, and he made a mistake. Lane then shows Avey all the magazine articles that Glass manufactured. As the pressure increases on Glass to fess up to his lies, he becomes both childlike and manipulative, saying things like, “Are you mad at me, Chuck?” and “Don’t leave me alone, I’m afraid I might hurt myself.” But Lane isn’t buying any of it and finally fires Glass. Chuck Lane and the rest of the staff know they now have to “right the ship.”
The three principal actors are entirely believable, as is the rest of the cast. This movie should have garnered more attention when it came out, but — considering the time we live in — perhaps it will find a new audience. As for the “real” players of the story: Chuck Lane went on to The Washington Post, where he was the deputy opinion editor from 2000 until 2024. He left the Post after the Jeff Bezos-owned paper reorganized their editorial staff. Lane went on to work for Bari Weiss’ The Free Press where his talents and opinion pieces are more appreciated. Stephen Glass would go on to write books of fiction, something he knew about and apparently excelled at.
There is a plethora of movies about journalism, and several have become classics like His Girl Friday, Deadline USA, The Sweet Smell of Success, All the President’s Men, and Absence of Malice. More recent films like Kill the Messenger examine government cover-ups, and She Said explores male dominated influence and abuse in the #MeToo movement, brought on by the Harvey Weinstein scandal as reported by two women investigative reporters.
As entertaining as so many of these films are, it is important to remember that they also inform us and challenge us to examine our own beliefs. As we witness our political, economic, and social foundations come under attack, we need to preserve an honest and free press to defend our fragile democracy.
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