MOVIE REVIEW: 'Page One' shows papers aren't things of the past

As any great documentary does, “Page One” offers astute, unbiased observations, and here it’s with an industry that, since before the founding of our nation, has provided an indispensable and invaluable service to the public trust.

Unlike so many films passing themselves off as documentaries, “Page One” is the genuine article. It presents pros and cons from multiple sources and perspectives and allows the viewer something they’re rarely afforded these days: a chance to make up their own mind. For that single reason, this movie deserves immense praise and your undivided attention.

Opening with a mercifully brief montage that includes the announcements of the demise of multiple iconic dailies, director Andrew Rossi perfectly sets the stage for the rest of the film. He and his crew are granted unprecedented access to what is inarguably the most successful and respected newspaper in the U.S., if not world history — The New York Times.

Without getting into details that could spoil what is in many ways a mystery thriller, Rossi sets up camp at the Times’ media desk, a new branch of the paper established in 2008. Rossi’s objective could have originally been to make a movie about how the great “Gray Lady” was adjusting to the Internet onslaught. Whatever Rossi’s original mission, it got tweaked, if not all together dismissed, when he became privy to events neither he nor the Times could have ever foreseen. Simply put, Rossi lucked into one of the most seminal events in reporting history.

This golden nugget would have been more than enough to propel the narrative and then some, but it only marks about a third of the film’s total content. Making it very clear to us — and to the Times — that he’s not going to provide a whitewash, Rossi also goes into detail regarding not one, but two, severely embarrassing in-house situations that made international headlines and called into question the Times’ oversight practices regarding material provided by staff members Jason Blair and Judith Miller.

If Blair and Miller had done what they did while in the employ of any other publication it would likely have never even been noticed but because they worked for the Times, both situations became scandalous. That’s the problem when you’re the king of the mountain; you’re often held up to an unfair higher standard. Sorry, but that’s the way it goes.

Amidst all of the international intrigue, possible plagiarism, fabrication and threats to the future of the industry, Rossi is also able to weave in a third thread that could and should be made into its own movie and required viewing for any and all newspaper professionals. It offers credence that the need for dedicated and dogged reporting will never die and will always trump tweets, blogs, Facebook and any other fleeting info-fad website that seems to crop up on a daily basis.

Literature Post Printing Press |

Far more people found themselves becoming literate post the invention of the printing press. The price of books dropped to a point where the average person could afford literature that interested them. One could argue that the economics and the free market made his point more relevant in present day than at any point before. For the simple reason that the popular literature among the masses was published at a much higher rate than other works.

Fiction that uses basic language, rhetoric, and style has a far higher chance of commercial success. Reason for this is generally considered to be the readers ease in consuming a specific text. Literature using high style and complex verse is much more difficult to enjoy while reading. To enjoy such work requires a trained mind. Although less work receives acclaim through high style, there is certainly still a niche of people who love this kind of work. Shakespeare did not write fiction novels but he can be looked at as an author who is appreciated to this day as a master. His published work featured more unique words than any other writer can boast in the history. Shakespeare is not read by the general public. It has been scholars who have kept his work alive because they have found it such a beneficial learning tool.

On the other end of the literature spectrum is work with significant commercial appeal like Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling uses very simple language and found great financial success. How does something low brow like Harry Potter gain such undeniable popularity? The answer has many folds and requires further analyzing. Rowling’s limited repertoire did not hinder her ability to describe vividly, a fictional world of wizardry.

Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press

Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press

The alphabet effect, the impact of the phonetic alphabet on the development of western civilization

The Impact of Printing on the Development of the English Language During the Period of the Renaissance

Penny cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge