"The Paper" - Frustration in Journalism

The Paper centers on the staff of The Daily Collegian, Penn State University's student newspaper, during a particularly trying year. The Collegian watches its circulation dwindle amidst lackluster stories, waning credibility, and difficulties with ethics in diversity.

It gets rough.

Weathering the storm is James Young, editor-in-chief.

Young addresses trouble from a place of frustration. As the boss, when the paper fails, he fails. Criticisms of the paper are taken more personally than they should.

The Black Caucus calls out the Collegian for a lack of racial sensitivity, proposing mandatory sensitivity training for all staff. Young dismisses this, believing that increased efforts from his reporters will work. He says this not out of prejudice (mostly), but out of insecurity and his abilities as an editor.

Collegian reporters also struggle to gain access to sources. For Jenny Vrentas, a sports reporter, the Sports Information Department is her gatekeeper. She's given the go-around while trying to snag a feature with football players, so she cuts the middleman and gets the interview herself. It's a move that garners outrage from the SID but also snags her a 3rd-place "Story of the Year" prize.

Should we approve of her actions? I refer to John Harvey, Collegian adviser, who describes Vrentas' relationship with the SID as a contract. If she doesn't benefit from it, she should opt out of. I commend her resolve.

I commend the resolve of all the staff. The furor they have for story-telling is inspiring. The film shies not from showcasing the job's hardships. At some points, the rewards aren't worth the efforts.

But journalism rips through red tape. It unmasks facade. It pisses people off. It does so to tell the stories that matter.

The saying goes "If it bleeds, it leads." The Paper proves "If you bleed, they'll read."