"journalism"

2015 · Tom McCarthy · 128 min · Drama

Spotlight is the rare kind of film that respects its audience enough to let the facts do the work. Tom McCarthy keeps the filmmaking invisible so the story can breathe, and the ensemble cast disappears into their roles so completely that you forget you're watching actors. It's methodical, unflinching, and quietly enraging in equal measure. For anyone who cares about accountability journalism or just wants to watch a masterclass in restrained dramatic storytelling, this is essential viewing.

2012 · 3 Seasons · HBO · Drama, Political

The Newsroom is Aaron Sorkin at his most passionate and most polarizing, a show about how television news should be done that struggles with the gap between its ideals and its execution. Jeff Daniels delivers a commanding lead performance, and the second season's sustained storyline about a fabricated story represents some of Sorkin's tightest work. But the show's tendency to lecture, its uneven treatment of female characters, and the inherent smugness of telling real-world stories with the benefit of hindsight kept it from reaching the heights of Sorkin's earlier work. It's a fascinating, frustrating show that provokes strong reactions in every direction.