5 films to help you think like a journalist

In our work with communicators, we’re always offering sage advice like, “think like a reporter” and “write like a journalist.”

But what does that really mean? Here are five of my favorite journalism movies that offer great tips on reporting and writing:

1. “The Paper” (1994).

This entertaining, often-overlooked film takes place in one long, agonizing day in the newsroom of a fictional New York tabloid. Metro Editor Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) is trying to uncover the truth behind two kids wrongfully accused of murder while weighing an offer to jump to a pretentious New York Times-like broadsheet and watching his wife and top reporter (the great Marisa Tomei) threaten to give birth in his office.

Chaos ensues as Keaton pushes to nail down the story before the presses run that evening. At one point, two rival reporters fight for dibs on the story, and one says:

“You wanna cover Brooklyn, then cover Brooklyn. But let me tell you something, it’s a little tough to do from a barstool in Manhattan.”

And that’s tip No. 1: Be a better reporter.