The Front Page Movie Review

The Roaring Twenties meant raging journalism news stories throughout America. The term jazz journalism provided readers and listeners with new stories that would gain attention with catchy headlines and promising stories on dramatic daily events. In this era, many people were tired of reading newspapers about war and censorship. The public wanted to be entertained and read stories about sports, celebrity gossip, crime, and everyday living. A perfect example is the comedy action-packed film “The Front Page” which exhibited what a reporter would have been like in a newsroom in this jazzy decade.  

  Journalism was a power-hungry entity that sought to give the best stories to the public, beating competitors by selling the most copies possible. With the technological invention of the telegraph, news was spread faster to the public. Headlines were always used as the hook grasping readers’ and listeners’ attention. Journalism saw newspapers and the telegraph become revolutionary as the news was a first-class job at the time.  

     The characters in the film were depicted as to what the relationship was like between a respectable reporter and his boss. Walter Burnes, an editor for the Chicago newspaper was the definition of a journalism empire in which he craved power and saw his newspaper as the best out there. Hildy was a trustworthy and popular reporter who was ready to retire and marry Peggy, the girl he loved. Hildy wanted to go into Peggy’s family business and learned from Walter “Never end a sentence with a preposition.” However, boss man Walter Burnes could not let his best source and storyteller leave. Throughout the film, Hildy tries to retire from his storytelling days when Walter Burnes wants him to author a once-in-a-lifetime story about a psycho criminal who just escaped from prison. What reporter would not want this story? Walter Burnes wanted the right reporter at the right time and that reporter happened to be Hildy.  

 

  The newspaper business was in its prime when people could report on attention-grabbing stories such as Hildy's breaking criminal escapist news story. Reporters were very secretive where they could get the most information, be able to draw conclusions, and pinpoint the clues leading to various crimes committed. Investigative journalism was used as a tactic so reporters could ask questions and get the latest information before any news competitor could. The exclusive stories are what makes a journalism empire. Once Hildy was face-to-face with the framed criminal, he knew that he would get the best story by asking private questions to publish the answers first. Investigative journalists will do about anything for a gossip-filled news story. Hildy and Walter Burnes collaborated to get the best story of their careers. Reporters were able to eagerly report to the public. Hildy took notes right away and tried to get the jazzier information about the framed criminal and release it creating a story that would define investigative journalism. Once this news story got out the community and society would be introduced to a new form of journalism. Hildy got right to the scene of the crime by keeping all the other reporters out of the newsroom to ensure that he and Walter Burnes would be the only ones to know about this special undercover interview. Once an investigative journalist had a lead, they could report a crime that they knew would be the gossip of the town.  

    Freedom of Speech and Press allows journalists to speak their minds freely providing knowledgeable information to the public. Under this law, the rights of reporters are protected, however, once politics gets involved certain leaders try and take their voice away from the people. Hildy and Walter Burnes were able to dig up information on the mayor and his white-collar crimes fueling his political agenda. Journalism was fueled by political reasons and affiliations. From the movie “The Front Page” I learned about various issues that journalists and reporters faced in the Roaring Twenties and prevalent in today’s newsroom.