Spotlight, Good Night and Good Luck, and other films that celebrate journalism

Films that centre around a journalist, who is inspiring, honest and relentless, are often a treat to watch. And thankfully, Hollywood has provided us with numerous movies that celebrate journalism.

From Spotlight to Good Night and Good Luck, films that draw on real-life experiences of journalists are defined by their heroic quality and if you're in the mood for some inspiration, here are a few movies that you can binge-watch:

All the President's Men

This 1976 adaptation of a book written by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein is regarded as a classic political thriller and is one of America's 100 most inspiring movies. It not only exposes the Watergate Scandal, it traces the journey of two Washington Post journalists, who often find themselves frustrated and angry while following the money and leads provided by their source, Deep Throat.

Good Night and Good Luck

This George Clooney directed film depicts the tension between famous radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. The film, set in 1953, is a telling tale on media censorship and the communist witch-hunt that took place in the U.S. during the Cold War.

Shattered Glass

This film has a tragic hero at the centre of its plot. Shattered Glass explores the story of Stephen Glass's fraud whilst at The New Republic. The protagonist, played by Hayden Christensen, fabricates a story on a hacker and this lands him in a web of lies, deceit, shame and guilt.

The Killing Fields

The evocative film is based on New York Times' journalists Sidney Schanberg and Dith Pran's time in Cambodia during the civil war. Although it's disturbing in its projection of human suffering and the oppression by Khmer Rouge, The Killing Fields is nonetheless an important film to watch.

Spotlight

It was not for nothing that Spotlight won the award for Best Picture at Oscars 2016. The film chronicles the experiences of Boston Globe's Spotlight team as they try to piece together a story on the sexual abuse carried out by the Catholic Church. The film projects the institutions that challenge and threaten the fourth estate and it's a humble reminder why journalists should stand up to the forces that may be. 

Spotlight airs on Sunday, October 23, at 1 pm and 9 pm IST on Sony Le Plex HD.