Audience Member
An interesting look behind the scenes of the New York Times. Nothing less, nothing more.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
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s r
Thought provoking and insightful.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
This documentary is not broadly about being "Inside the New York Times," but instead is much more narrowly focused on the dilemma of current newspapers as they try to survive in an era of internet coverage that has largely supplanted the papers in the public mind. It's a weak documentary, skipping around in its focus on a handful of key figures at the Times in 2010, trying to make a case for the traditional newspaper journalism while occasionally following the staff's pursuit of a particular story of note. I strongly favor the continuation of newspapers like the NY Times and agree that the resources and structure they bring to news gathering is essential to a healthy democracy. I agree, too, that the state of internet reporting is diffuse and incapable of delivering both solid regional coverage and major investigative journalism at its best. But I would have preferred to find out more about the workings of the NY Times today. This film doesn't provide that at all. It takes up an important issue about journalism in the 21st century, but that's not what I expected or wanted from this particular documentary--at least, not as the primary focus. That broader inquiry belongs in another documentary not ostensibly about the NY Times but about the world of reporting and the role of internet and print journalism separately and in conjunction.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
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Audience Member
Page One: Inside The New York Times might not be the best doc I see this year, but I can't imagine another one coming along that's this much in my sweet spot. Having studied the film's internal debate for four years (and lived through it for a year and a half now), it's nearly impossible for me not to be totally captivated by such a thoughtful study of journalism's big questions: What's the future of print? What's the value of real reporting and a newsroom? How should organizations balance the needs of a print product and a web one? And where do institutions like Twitter, Gawker, and Wikileaks fit in the industry? They really are important questions-not just for insiders, but for everyone who consumes news. And Page One presents them in a very compelling manner, while at the same time giving us unprecedented access to the most prestigious paper in the industry.
Andrew Rossi directs the film, which follows a group of New York Times reporters and editors (primarily from the media desk) as they navigate the volatile waters of a rapidly changing business. Bill Keller is the paper's executive editor. He leads the Page One meetings every morning, during which he and managing editor Jill Abramson (who will actually replace Keller in September) hear pitches from the various desk editors as to why their stories should be featured front and center. Bruce Headlam is the editor of the newly formed media desk, which covers the goings-on in his world-the newspaper closings, the emergence of new forms of media, etc. Others on hand include Brian Stelter, journalism wunderkind who rose up from blogger to NYT reporter almost overnight; Tim Arango, a rising business reporter who decides to take a position in Iraq; and David Carr, a columnist and former drug addict who will defend the Times to his dying breath but isn't afraid to adopt the new ways of journalism.
It's Carr that keeps things movingly along briskly. He's a craggly-voiced, quick-witted, balls-to-the-wall reporter who's totally unafraid to throw down with anyone. As he says, he's been in jail, on welfare, and has had to raise his children alone, so something as "trivial" as a potential layoff or a possible lawsuit from an unhappy story subject isn't going to do much to shake him. He's funny and super intelligent, and whether accurate or not, he gives the paper-and the film-a needed dose of personality.
Though the issues the film presents aren't new, the film tackles them in a surprisingly insightful way. I expected this to be like an introductory class, The Future of Journalism 101. Instead, it thrusts you into these people's world, showing the perils of the trade with all their complexities. Yes, the internet is an important advancement for journalists, but when the price is the careers of many of its best, most old-school talents (as well as the death of some of the industries most prestigious and lasting institutions) how much good can it really be doing? Well, it's giving us news faster and making journalists more accountable to the public, for example, and though I could go into these types of things in more detail, I'd just as soon tell you to go see the film for yourself. It's a very well-done documentary-maybe not one that will contend for an Oscar next year because it's definitely an insider's film-but it's definitely worth seeking out if you have any interest in the subject.
http://www.johnlikesmovies.com/page-one-inside-the-new-york-times/
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/10/23
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Audience Member
Has the newspaper industry reached its peak? Is print in ashes? Will the great Grey lady called the New York Times cease to exist, and if so what does that mean?
As newspapers smack head on into the wall of its most tumultuous time in history, filmmaker Andrew Rossi gains unprecedented access to newsroom of the iconic New York Times to document either its demise or survival.
For approximately 12 months through 2009/10 Rossi shadows journalists on the newly created Media Desk, a department started to tract the transformation of the media landscape and map how new digital advances are going to shape the future of the industry. A future where stop press may have an entirely new and dire meaning.
Using the desk as a prism, a complex outline highlight both the perils and opportunities of this quickly evolving beast and its relationship to the Times itself emerges. Rossi and camera head into the still 'mostly' functioning media giant to observe the Media Desk its editor Mark Headlam and his senior reporters David Carr and Brian Stelter.
Under the shock of a number of major US paid dailies falling victim to plummeting ad revenues and the explosion of free online news and information sources, the New York Times too many observers, is a sitting duck, waiting for its turn on the chopping block. But is it really facing dire economic prospects, or is there life in the old girl yet?
According to Reporter David Carr yes she does. An interesting course-voiced, weather-beaten and frank character is a passionate representative of the Times and its traditions. A staunch defender of old fashioned in-depth interviewing, cross referencing, and carful facts driven writing, the recovered exjunkie's attack approach to scrupulous reporting makes him the hottest poster boy to print journalism since Woodward and Berstein.
However, as Editor Headlam points out things are not so clear cut. Hard facts are falling by the wayside as boundary breaking internet sites such as Wiki-leaks try to "get it out there" and ordinary citizens with a handy-cam can upload raw information to YouTube instantaneously without censorship, filters or liability but with a disconcerting slant or agenda.
In an interview captured between Stelter and WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange, it is clear the line between journalism and activist is blurred. Assange states that he would pursue justice over accurate journalism in a thought provoking self-image. This illuminating brief exchange sheds light on the broader debate about the kinds of materials published through filtered media organisations like the Times and independantly controlled websites and how they can work together.
Carl Bernstein (a Watergate reporter) once said "We need institutions that have the ability both financially and culturally to bring news that other institutions and individuals cannot" but as reporter Bill Keller states "Ellsberg needed us. Wikileaks doesn't".
Is the prestigious institution of the times competing new world vs. old world or reliable news vs. amateur propaganda, the first underlying theme to the entire documentary.
The second being profitability. The writing blood already on the wall following the firing of over 10% of its workforce, and with readers moving away from the smudgy papers to battery-powered smart things, how does a newspaper evolve to retain its readership and financial feasibility?
Wonderfully capturing the iPad's release and Carr's simple reaction "You know what this reminds me of? A newspaper." it becomes evident why the online versions of the paper will now be charging. Their evolution may see the end of print but it won't see the end of them.
The Verdict: Unglorified and Insightful whilst sidestepping offering any real answers, Page One is a real page turner focused on media's most vital and indispensable hell-raisers.
Published: The Canberra Chronicle
Date of Publication: 10/01/2011
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
Full Review
john m
It's a nice, small glimpse inside The New York Times and if you're a journalist, a very serious and important documentary to watch on the deterioration of mainstream newspapers. Yet outside of what's already known and is already popular issues explored in news and has been on everyone's minds for a while, there's nothing new here really. It's all out there to read, so this documentary isn't a whole lot more expansive.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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