What TV shows, films set in newsrooms and studios tell us about journalism today

“Truth, goodness and success can never go hand in hand,” says Kabir Sharma (Rajeev Khandelwal), the hotshot head of a newspaper called Dilli Kranti, early on in Goldie Behl’s series Reporters, which premiered on Sony Entertainment Television in 2015. Kabir, addressing a group of eager journalism students, underlines the essence of reporting, and the philosophy that invariably drives the insatiable hunger for news. Sharma’s statement serves as a prelude to the grim and grimy world of a profession that seems to have become the least respectable in the age of godi media (embedded journalism). Most anchors seem to have sold their soul, and are happy peddling the pro-government narratives that are being fed to them, even at prime time. Loosely based on the famous American series The Newsroom, Reporters gave us a break from the saas-bahu sagas before OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video arrived on the scene — months later, in 2016.

Reporters could have been one of the best Indian shows set in the newsroom, but it was woefully underwhelming when it came to execution, sacrificing itself at the altar of a love story — the lady in question is Ananya Kashyap (Kritika Kamra), a junior reporter at the news channel KKN — and convoluted plotlines. It did, however, excel in its portrayal of the frenetic energy of a newsroom — the race against deadlines, the battles for ratings and credibility, and the constant hum of breaking news — and the politics of the proprietors. In recent years, as the Fourth Estate witnesses the Great Degeneration, succumbing to the lures of power and pelf, it is interesting to watch how newsrooms are shown in TV shows and films.

If you have followed the recent releases, you would have noticed that the number of good shows are too many. The latest to win our hearts, of course, is Bhakshak. Directed by Pulkit, it is the story of two determined journalists (played with characteristic conviction by Bhumi Pednekar and Sanjay Mishra), who do not give up until they succeed in getting the culprit behind the harrowing and mind-numbing cases of abuse at a shelter for young girls in Muzaffarpur, Bihar; it’s based on real incidents. We follow the two as they struggle with resources, and the know-how, in their quest to reach out to the people with the truth. It involves great personal costs. But they are willing to pay the price and stand firmly with the truth.

The film, produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, highlights what it takes for journalists associated with the alternative media in the rural areas to tell the stories that need to be told — stories that the corporate media has little interest in pursuing. Last year, it was Hansal Mehta’s scintillating series, Scoop — based on Jigna Vora’s memoir, Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison — that captured on the celluloid the real-life story of the crime journalist (essayed by Karishma Tanna with grace and gravitas), who was accused of the murder of mid-day reporter Jyotirmoy Dey in June 2011. The two journalists who are pitched against each other in the compelling drama are Imran Siddiqui (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) who plays the editor of a news daily’s Mumbai edition, and Pushkar Mohan (Tanmay Dhanania). They are the specimens of the two types of journalists newsrooms are filled with today: while for the first type, journalistic ethics and his principles are sacrosanct, for the other, everything is fair in the path of self-aggrandisement.

In The Broken News (2022), we saw how two rival news channels are caught in a fierce competition even as the dynamic journalists at the helm struggle to balance their lives, looking at an uncertain future. One of the most powerful films to have been made on investigative journalism in recent years, is Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight (2015). Based on a true story about a team of investigative journalists of The Boston Globe who uncovered the sexual abuse scandal at the Catholic Church in Boston, it film follows the journalists as they dig deeper, unearthing disturbing truths about the extent of the abuse and the cover-up by the Church hierarchy.

Coming to The Newsroom, you can now see all of its three seasons on JioCinema. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the show, which aired on HBO from 2012 to 2014, follows the professional and personal lives of a cable news team. Set against the backdrop of a fictional news channel, Atlantis Cable News or ACN, it delves into the challenges journalists face in the digital age, where the rapid dissemination of information often comes at the expense of accuracy and depth. Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) is a talented but cynical anchorman, who experiences a public meltdown that leads to a professional renaissance when he decides to produce a news show that prioritizes integrity and truth over ratings and profit.

Emily Mortimer plays MacKenzie McHale, an executive producer who shares a complicated history with McAvoy. Her arrival at ACN kickstarts the newsroom’s transformation. Sam Waterston appears as Charlie Skinner, the news division president who supports McAvoy and McHale’s vision, playing the role of a mentor and mediator in the company. The supporting staff of the newsroom include John Gallagher Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel and Olivia Munn — each of these have their personal quirks that contribute to the volatile environment at ACN.

The series was lauded for its sharp writing, compelling characters, and Sorkin’s trademark fast-paced dialogue. If Season 1 focuses on the team’s effort to revitalise the newsroom’s mission following McAvoy’s outburst and his subsequent decision to work towards a more idealistic approach to news broadcasting, Season 2 deals with the fallout from a controversial story that threatens the network’s credibility and the personal and professional relationships of those involved. In the final season, we are privy to the challenges posed by the acquisition of the network by new ownership with different priorities, along with ongoing issues related to reporting in the digital age. Although it courted controversy for its spin to the real-life news events, The Newsroom is remembered for sparking conversations about the role of journalists in shaping public perception.

Also available on JioCinema is another iconic show that tells the tale of a media tycoon’s family: the Emmy Award-winning Succession. You must have heard everyone raving about it when its last season aired in May last year. Created by Jesse Armstrong, Succession premiered on HBO in 2018 and soon acquired a dedicated fan base for the finesse with which it has been written, its complex characters, and insightful exploration of power dynamics in a filthy rich but dysfunctional family. It’s centred on the Roy family, owners of a global media conglomerate called Waystar Royco. At the helm of the company is Logan Roy, a ruthless and domineering patriarch who built the empire from scratch. As Logan’s health deteriorates, the question of succession becomes a pressing issue, triggering intense power struggles among his children and other key players of the company.

The Roy siblings include Kendall, the ambitious but troubled eldest son; Shiv, the politically savvy daughter with aspirations beyond the family business; Roman, the witty and reckless youngest son; and Connor, the eldest son from Logan’s first marriage, who lives a relatively carefree life away from the corporate fray. Each sibling grapples with their own insecurities, desires, and loyalties, further complicating things. Succession, in the final analysis, is a scathing critique of the ultra-wealthy elite and the lengths to which they will go to maintain their status and influence. It also explores the psychological toll of growing up in a cutthroat environment where love and validation are often linked to success. If there is anything we learn from the Roy family it’s this: Truth, goodness and success rarely go together.