Film Portrayals of Foreign Correspondents A content analysis of movies before World War II and after Vietnam

This study combines content analysis and a close reading of movies to assess the portrayal of foreign correspondents in films during two periods: the golden age of foreign correspondence (the 1930s to World War II) and the years after the Vietnam War. The analysis revealed that movies generally depi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournalism studies (London, England) Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 489 - 505
Main Authors Cozma, Raluca, Maxwell Hamilton, John
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Taylor & Francis Group 01.08.2009
Subjects
foreign correspondence
media credibility
media history
movie portrayals
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Summary:This study combines content analysis and a close reading of movies to assess the portrayal of foreign correspondents in films during two periods: the golden age of foreign correspondence (the 1930s to World War II) and the years after the Vietnam War. The analysis revealed that movies generally depict foreign correspondents as heroes, but their status changes over time, and so do the circumstances in which they work. The differences during the two periods track changes for real foreign correspondents. In the golden age, silver screen correspondents were happy elites at ease with themselves even when stepping out of journalistic roles, unlike the latter period, when they were angst-ridden and questioned their responsibilities.
ISSN:1461-670X
1469-9699
DOI:10.1080/14616700802622656