Two-faced: the image of the female political journalist in American film

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Content

Two-‐Faced:

The
Image
of
the
Female
Political
Journalist
in
American
Film

By
Heather
Navarro

The
Image
of
the
Journalist
in
Popular
Culture,
JOUR
576

Professor
Joseph
Saltzman

March
10,
2014

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

2

Table
of
Contents

Abstract
___________________________________________________________________________________

3

Introduction
______________________________________________________________________________

4

Literature
Review
________________________________________________________________________

5

Methodology
______________________________________________________________________________

9

Central
Character
Guide
in
Movies
_____________________________________________________

10

Impact
____________________________________________________________________________________

16

Two-‐Faced:
Each
Female
Political
Journalist
Has
More
Than
One
Side
_____________

17

Masculinity
_______________________________________________________________________________

22

Unethical
Behavior
______________________________________________________________________

25

Male
Counterparts:
Beaten
By
A
Man
_________________________________________________

29

Conclusion
_______________________________________________________________________________

36

End
Notes
_________________________________________________________________________________
39

Bibliography
_____________________________________________________________________________

44

Interviews
________________________________________________________________________________
47

Appendix
A:

Background
On
Real-‐Life
Female
Political
Journalists
_________________
47

Appendix
B:

Film
Summaries
___________________________________________________________
48

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

3

ABSTRACT

While
the
image
of
the
female
journalist
in
popular
culture
has
been

explored,
female
journalists
specifically
in
the
political
sphere
have
not.
This
body
of

work
aims
to
define
the
traits,
quirks,
and
ethics
of
the
female
political
journalist
in

American
film.
The
existing
documentation
shows
that
the
female
journalist

certainly
starts
out
tough,
even
abrasive,
smart,
resilient,
and
proud
to
be
called
a

“newspaperman.”
Inevitably,
though,
by
the
end
of
the
film
she
melts
like
butter
—

all
too
willing
to
give
up
the
excitement
of
a
fulfilling
career
to
be
a
housewife
—
to

bring
slippers
and
a
sandwich
to
a
man.

This
work
will
show
how
similar
and
how

different
this
image
is
to
the
one
digging
around
in
the
political
world.
This
work

aims
to
define
the
female
political
journalist
in
American
film
from
the
1940s
to

current
day.

The
image
of
the
female
political
journalist
in
film
is
one
of
someone
who

imparts
knowledge
to
the
general
public
while
embodying
stereotypes.

If
the
public

believes
in
the
image
of
the
female
political
journalist
based
on
films
alone,
the

female
political
journalist
is
a
walking
cliché
—
a
smart
but
lonely
spinster.
A
harpy.

An
intelligent
woman
who
encompasses
masculine
traits
because
to
be
smart
is
to

be
in
power
—
and
to
be
in
power
is
masculine.

A
male
political
journalist
is
often
seen
as
intelligent,
and
is
respected,

according
to
He
Wrote,
She
Wrote:
Journalist
Gender,
Political
Office,
and
Campaign

News.
In
the
films
explored,
the
image
of
the
male
political
journalist
is
often

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

4

portrayed
as
intelligent
and
respected,
falling
in
line
with
this
description.
If
the

average
person
were
to
view
only
these
images,
he
or
she
would
believe
that

regardless
of
how
intelligent
and
strong
a
female
political
journalist
is,
she
will

ultimately
yield
to
a
stronger
and
smarter
man.

INTRODUCTION

While
watching
a
female
political
journalist
in
film,
one
gets
the
impression

that
she
is
two-‐faced.

On
the
one
hand,
a
female
political
journalist
wants
to
be

loved,
and
she
is
weaker
for
that
fact
because
she
is
willing
to
listen
to
whatever
her

male
counterpart
has
to
say.

On
the
other
hand,
she
is
unscrupulous
when
it
comes

to
chasing
down
a
lead.
She
wants
the
story,
and
she
wants
the
glory
that
goes
along

with
it.

The
image
of
the
female
political
journalist
is
similar
to
the
image
of
the

female
journalist
as
described
experts
in
the
field:
Howard
Good
in
Girl
Reporter:

Gender,
Journalism,
and
the
Movies,
and
Joe
Saltzman
in
Sob
Sisters:
The
Image
of
the

Journalist
in
Popular
Culture,
respectively.
The
image
of
the
female
political

journalist
evolves
over
time,
however,
to
accommodate
cultural
and
societal
shifts.

The
image
of
the
female
political
journalist
is
similar
to
that
of
other
female

journalists
in
film
who
are
portrayed
as
“Wonder
Women”
of
sorts.
They
chase

down
stories,
get
the
scoop
before
the
guys,
and
drink
like
the
men
can.
In
the
end,

however,
they
soften
and
do
what’s
expected
of
women
in
film
—
fall
in
love.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

5

Contemporary
female
political
journalists
are
strikingly
similar
to
female

journalists
in
earlier
films.
By
the
millennium,
the
female
political
reporter
still

works
as
hard
as,
or
at
times
much
harder,
than
a
man
to
get
the
story.
But
the

majority
of
the
female
reporters
begin
to
move
away
from
ethical
violations.

This
paper
will
show
the
image
of
the
female
political
journalist
in
film
and

how
the
image
has
changed
from
the
1940s
to
the
present
day.
Ethical
violations,

appearance,
and
male
relationships
of
the
characters
in
the
films
chosen
for
this

analysis
were
studied.
Each
component
contributes
to
understanding
the
image
of

the
political
female
journalist,
which
can
lead
to
greater
analysis
of
female

stereotypes
in
general.
In
the
examination
of
the
female
political
journalist
in
film,

the
following
films
were
chosen
because
they
best
represent
the
female
journalist

working
in
the
political
world.
Other
films
with
female
journalists
either
don’t

feature
them
working
in
politics
or
don’t
feature
the
female
political
journalist

prominently
enough
to
be
examined
thoroughly.

LITERATURE
REVIEW

The
objective
of
this
paper
is
to
draw
conclusions
about
the
female
political

journalist
portrayed
in
American
film.
Previous
research
of
the
image
of
the
female

journalist
was
used
in
this
work
to
strengthen
the
conclusions
drawn
from
these

nine
films.
Joe
Saltzman’s
Sob
Sisters:
The
Image
of
the
Female
Journalist
in
Popular

Culture
outlines
a
specific
character
similar
in
many
ways
to
the
image
of
the
female

political
journalist.
Comparing
the
two
figures
helps
make
determinations
about

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

6

what
effect
the
images
have
on
societal
stereotypes
of
women
journalists.
Sob
Sisters

concluded
that
the
female
journalist
was
often
a
deft
reporter,
though
in
the
end

buckled
to
become
a
housewife.
This
research
will
determine
if
this
trend
changes

over
time,
and
how
the
modern
political
journalist
responds
to
being
placed
in
a

domesticated
role
in
the
film,
if
she
is
at
all.

Hacks,
Heels
and
Headlines:
How
accurately
do
recent
film
portrayals
of

women
journalists
reflect
the
working
world
of
their
real-‐life
counterparts?
1

by
Sarah

Herman;
and
Beauty,
Brains
and
Bylines:
Comparing
the
Female
Journalist
in
the

Fiction
of
Sherryl
Woods
and
Sarah
Shankman
2

by
Amanda
Marie
Rossie
all
provide

further
exploration
into
the
female
journalist
in
film.
Herman’s
work
shaped
this

piece
by
analyzing
why
Hollywood
clings
to
stereotypes
of
female
journalists
while

real-‐world
situations
continue
to
evolve.
The
explanation
of
gender
inequalities
and

female
stereotypes
in
journalism
in
Rossie’s
research
specifically
helped
shape
this

work’s
conclusions.
This
research
includes
interviews
with
real
life
female
reporters

who
provide
personal
experiences
working
in
the
political
world.
This
work

compares
the
fictional
portrayal
with
the
real
world
journalist
and
examines
how

Hollywood’s
image
makes
slight
changes
over
time.
This
work
will
determine
how

far
Hollywood
is
willing
to
go
in
terms
of
change.

Chapters
in
Joe
Saltzman’s
book
Frank
Capra
and
the
Image
of
the
Journalist

in
American
Film,
specifically
“Ann
Mitchell,
the
Bulletin
Reporter
⎯
Making
Up
the

News,”
provide
background
on
the
ethics
of
journalism,
and
how
female
journalists

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

7

in
film
violate
those
ethics.
Because
female
political
reporters
in
the
nine
films

examined
also
violate
ethics
in
various
ways,
this
research
helps
provide
context

and
background,
and
expand
understanding
in
the
segments
of
this
paper
involving

appearance,
relationships
and
other
aspects.

In
Frank
Capra,
the
female
journalist
is

die-‐hard
in
her
tactics
to
get
a
scoop,
breaking
ethical
codes.
This
work
will
show

that
in
the
nine
films
examined,
the
female
political
journalist
changes
over
time
to

become
loyal
to
journalistic
scruples,
regardless
of
personal
cost.
Saltzman
also

notes
that
the
female
journalist
often
yields
to
a
man.
This
work
examines
this
trend,

and
shows
that
yielding
to
a
man
doesn’t
only
have
to
be
in
terms
of
quitting
her
job

and
becoming
a
housewife.
This
work
shows
that
the
female
journalist
yields
to
a

man,
or
loses
to
a
man,
even
if
she
is
unwilling
to
give
up
her
career.

Saltzman
and
Liz
Mitchell’s
work
entitled
The
Image
of
the
Washington

Journalist
in
Movies
and
Television,
1932-‐2013
3

provided
conclusions
on
the
image
of

the
female
Washington
reporter,
which
intersects
with
all
female
political
reporters.

Saltzman
wrote
in
the
conclusion
that
the
female
reporter
in
Washington
is
“eager

to
out
scoop
the
men
around
her,
and
willing
to
sacrifice
her
career
if
necessary
to

be
with
the
man
she
loves.”
4

This
research
directly
supports
the
work
in
this
piece,

with
a
few
nuances
granted
for
time
period
of
the
nine
films
examined.

In
Girl
Reporter
5

by
Howard
Good,
his
research
was
utilized
to
accurately

describe
the
image
of
the
female
journalist
in
the
real
world
versus
the
film
world.

In
that
same
vein,
Women
in
Televised
News
Revisited
6

by
Judith
Marlane
was
used
to

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

8

show
the
perspective
of
political
broadcast
journalists.
Marlane
interviews
real

journalists,
both
male
and
female,
and
derives
conclusions
on
gender
bias
in
the

media,
including
ageism
and
appearance
biases
in
broadcast
media.
This
work
will

contrast
Marlane’s
research
with
the
nine
films
to
show
how
ageism
in
journalism
is

merely
touched
upon
in
film.
This
work
also
examines
how
female
actresses

portraying
the
journalists
are
often
young
and
beautiful.

Studies
of
the
correlation
between
media
and
government
were
also
used,

including:
He
Wrote,
She
Wrote:
Journalist
Gender,
Political
Office,
and
Campaign

News
7

by
Lindsey
Meeks,
A
Panel
Study
of
Media
Effects
on
Political
and
Social
Trust

After
September
11,
2001
8

by
Kimberly
Gross,
and
Media
Effects
on
Political
and

Social
Trust
by
Patricia
Moy
and
Dietram
A.
Scheufele.
The
research
pertaining
to

government
and
gender
shows
how
gender
plays
a
significant
role
in
the
jobs

women
get
in
the
political
world
as
well
as
how
a
man
might
cover
a
political
story

versus
how
a
woman
would.
When
present
in
any
of
the
nine
films,
this
work
builds

upon
this
research
and
examines
the
relationship
between
a
female
reporter
and
a

male
reporter,
defining
who
is
shown
as
the
hero
of
the
newsroom.

Various
movie
reviews
were
also
utilized
by
film
critics
such
as
Roger

Ebert,
critics
from
Huffington
Post,
Los
Angeles
Times,
and
the
New
York
Times
to

show
a
viewer’s
take
on
the
film.
These
viewpoints
provide
added
context
for
the

piece
as
a
whole,
affirming
what
a
viewer
at
home
is
taking
away
from
each
film.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

9

Context
of
the
current
attitudes
toward
female
political
journalists
on
the

silver
screen
including
their
sexual
behaviors
were
substantiated
by
works
such
as

House
of
Cards
Thinks
All
Female
Political
Reporters
Are
Mean
Sluts
by
Alyssa

Rosenberg,
Girls
on
the
Bus
by
Ginger
Gibson,
and
Why
Are
Girl
Journalists
in
Movies

So
Lame?
“Crazy
Heart”
continues
the
tradition
by
Sara
Libby.

A
key
resource
in
studying
female
political
journalists
in
film
was
the
IJPC

database.
9

Altogether,
the
database,
articles,
and
books
help
substantiate
and
craft
the

work
as
a
whole,
shedding
light
on
what
the
female
political
journalist
in
film

embodies.
This
research
will
focus
to
answer
questions
about
how
the
image
in
film

changes
over
time,
how
the
political
heroine
relates
to
her
male
counterparts,
and

how
those
male
counterparts
are
shown
ultimately
coming
out
on
top,
regardless
of

the
female
protagonist's
successes
as
a
journalist.

METHODOLOGY

The
nine
films
include:
Washington
Story,
The
Ides
of
March,
Thank
You
for

Smoking,
Woman
of
the
Year,
State
of
Play,
Madison
Avenue,
The
Senator
Was

Indiscreet,
Nothing
but
the
Truth,
and
Lions
for
Lambs.

Central
female
characters
working
as
political
journalists
in
these
films
were

examined,
including
their
traits,
attitudes,
and
personal
relationships.
The
image
of

the
female
political
journalist
was
contrasted
with
the
image
of
the
female
journalist

as
well
the
image
of
the
male
political
journalist.
The
image
of
the
female
political

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

10

journalist
in
the
nine
films
was
analyzed
to
show
how
this
image
permeates
through

American
culture.

CENTRAL
CHARACTER
GUIDE
IN
MOVIES

The
Ides
of
March
(2011),
Ida
Horowicz:
10

Ida
Horowicz,
played
by
Marisa
Tomei,
is
a
hard-‐boiled,
seasoned,
smart

reporter,
and
she
has
the
eyeglasses
to
prove
it.
Although
Tomei,
who
plays

Horowicz,
is
an
attractive
woman,
she
surprisingly
doesn’t
use
her
sex
appeal
to
get

information.
Instead,
she
uses
her
friendship,
and
her
connections
in
the
political

world.

Woman
of
the
Year
(1942),
Tess
Harding:
11

Tess
Harding
is
very
intelligent,
well
versed
in
myriad
languages,
and
very

dedicated
to
journalism
as
seen
throughout
the
film.
She
constantly
checks
a
wire

that
pumps
breaking
news
into
her
office
and
at
her
home.
Glamorous
and
beautiful,

she
has
no
problem
landing
a
relationship
with
a
sports
reporter
and
colleague,
Sam

Craig,
portrayed
by
Spencer
Tracy.
But
her
dedication
to
her
international
political

journalism
interferes
with
her
relationship.
After
a
whirlwind
courtship,
her
new

husband,
Sam
Craig,
says
she
isn’t
even
a
“woman
at
all”
due
to
her
focus
on
work

rather
than
cooking
or
cleaning
as
a
wife
is
supposed
to.
12

By
the
end
of
the
film,

Harding
realizes
the
error
of
her
ways
and
attempts
to
make
breakfast
for
her

husband
to
show
she
is
willing
to
quit
her
job
and
become
a
stay-‐at-‐home
wife.

Washington
Story
(1952),
Alice
Kingsley:
13

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

11

Patricia
Neal
plays
Alice
Kingsley
in
this
love
story
wrapped
around
politics

in
Washington,
D.C.
Kingsley
does
just
about
all
she
can
to
get
the
story:
she
lies
to

her
source
about
who
she
works
for
as
a
reporter,
tells
him
she
wants
to
run
a
puff

piece
about
him,
sleeps
with
him,
falls
in
love
with
him,
and
in
the
end
changes
her

entire
story
—
going
against
her
fellow
journalist
who
helps
her
deceive
her
source.

She
redeems
herself
as
a
journalist
only
because
she
decides
her
love
interest
and

source
is
a
good
guy
after
all.
She
is
beautiful
and
uses
her
charm
to
get
in

politicians’s
good
graces.
Her
steadfast
determination
to
get
the
scoop
on
a

Washington,
D.C.,
politician
is
obvious
in
the
first
three
minutes
of
the
film,
where

she
says
to
her
new
editor:
“I’m
here
to
get
a
sensational
series
of
articles
about

Washington,
and
I
don’t
care
who
I
impose
upon
to
get
them.”

Thank
you
for
Smoking
(2005),
Heather
Holloway:

Possibly
the
most
unlikable
female
political
journalist
among
those
in
the

nine
films
examined,
Heather
Holloway
is
a
sneaky
reporter
portrayed
by
Katie

Holmes.
As
one
observer
noted
in
Slate
magazine,
she
is
“over
the
top
in
her

attempts
at
seduction.”
14

Although
Holloway
asks
the
right
questions
when

interviewing
big
tobacco
spokesman
Nick
Naylor,
the
final
question
is
a
request
to

see
his
apartment,
so
she
can
“see
where
the
devil
sleeps.”
Naylor,
portrayed
by

Aaron
Eckhart,
assumes
the
interview
has
concluded
when
they
are
sexually

involved,
but
Holloway
was
purposeful
in
sleeping
with
Naylor
—
she
wanted
the

dirt.
Once
she
runs
her
story,
spotty
at
best
with
inaccuracies,
she
seems
pleased

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

12

with
herself.
She
is
a
pretty
woman
as
noted
by
Naylor’s
lobbyist
friends
who
warn

him
about
sleeping
with
her.
She
violates
the
ethics
of
journalism
(in
the
name
of

journalism)
but
it
doesn’t
end
up
working
out
in
her
favor.
While
she
seems
smart,

she
is
outsmarted
by
the
protagonist
—
a
man.

State
of
Play
(2009),
Della
Frye:
15

Rachel
McAdams
plays
Della
Frye
in
this
political
thriller.
Frye
is
a
young

blogger
immersing
herself
into
the
legacy
world
of
newspaper
journalism.
She
is

clearly
intelligent
but
does
not
have
the
expertise
of
a
seasoned
journalist,
like
her

male
“mentor”
Cal
McAffrey.
She
offers
contributions
as
they
investigate
the
murder

of
a
young
political
assistant
—
she
has
technology
on
her
side,
being
young,
smart,

and
tech
savvy.
The
editor,
played
by
Helen
Mirren,
tells
seasoned
journalist

McAffrey
that:
“She’s
hungry,
she’s
cheap,
and
she
churns
out
copy
on
the
hour.”
But

McAffrey
is
the
brains
of
the
operation,
and
saves
the
day
by
figuring
out
what
is

really
going
on
in
terms
of
political
corruption.

Nothing
but
the
Truth
(2008),
Rachel
Armstrong:
16

Rachel
Armstrong,
portrayed
by
Kate
Beckinsale,
is
first
seen
in
the
film
as
a
mother,

a
contrast
from
most
other
female
political
journalists
in
film.

Even
on
the
bus
on
a

school
trip
where
she’s
acting
as
a
chaperone,
she
clacks
away
on
her
laptop,

presumably
finishing
up
work.
She
attempts
to
interview
the
mother
of
a
child
who

goes
to
school
with
her
son,
assuming
from
her
source
that
she
is
a
CIA
operative.

She
attempts
to
appeal
to
the
interviewee
by
the
fact
that
their
children
attend

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

13

school
together,
but
it
ends
with
the
mother
cussing
her
out.
Armstrong
proves
she

is
as
tough
as
journalists
get.
She
spends
more
than
a
year
in
jail,
and
is
scheduled
to

do
two
additional
years
in
prison
for
not
revealing
her
source.
During
her
stint
in

jail,
her
husband
has
an
extramarital
affair.
Armstrong’s
son
begs
her
to
come
home,

something
she
refuses
to
do
as
she
refuses
to
reveal
her
source.
She
loses
it
all,

meaning
her
family,
in
order
to
do
her
job
as
a
good
journalist.
The
ending
leaves

the
audience
rooting
for
her
but
also
wishing
she
would
give
it
all
up
to
be
with
her

son
again.
17

The
story
is
based
on
the
real-‐life
Judith
Miller
case,
during
which
Miller

refused
to
reveal
Valerie
Plame
was
her
CIA
source.
18

The
Senator
Was
Indiscreet
(1947),
Poppy
McNaughton:
19

The
story
opens
with
a
signed
autograph
by
the
beautiful
Poppy

McNaughton,
dubbed
as
“just
about
the
best
newspaperman
in
town.”

Ella
Raines

plays
the
die-‐hard
female
political
journalist.
The
senator
she
meets,
who
initially

fawns
over
her
beauty,
also
tells
her
that
he
believes
a
woman’s
place
is
in
the

kitchen.
20

She’s
snappy,
and
quick
to
tell
a
man
what
she
thinks,
even
calling
the

politician
“Senator
Trashcan”
in
her
pieces.
Despite
her
admirable
qualities
as
an

unrelenting
journalist,
she
violates
journalism
ethics
by
stealing
the
diary
of
a

politician
in
order
to
publish
an
exposé
about
him
and
other
members
of
the
senate.

Madison
Avenue
(1962),
Peggy
Shannon:
21

Peggy
Shannon,
portrayed
by
Jeanne
Crain,
is
a
tough
political
reporter
out
to

publish
a
story
about
the
man
she
is
in
love
with
who
works
in
advertising.
She

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

14

drinks
hard
—
dry
martinis
—
and
dresses
well.
However,
she
is
a
fool
for
the

advertising
executive
she
aims
to
write
about.
In
their
first
encounter,
she
complains

about
being
“stood
up
for
months”
by
him.
22

Toward
the
end
of
the
film,
it
appears

she
finally
gains
a
spine.
She
realizes
he
is
in
a
relationship
with
her
only
to
stop
the

exposé,
and
she
decides
to
burn
the
article.
Before
she
burns
the
evidence
of
his

wrongdoing,
he
stops
her
and
kisses
her.
“It’s
funny,”
she
says.
“Anytime
in
the
past,

I
would
have
taken
you
on
any
old
terms.
You
could
have
walked
all
over
me.
But

now
I’ve
had
it.”
23

In
the
last
minute
of
the
film,
Shannon
hears
out
his
plea
for

reconciliation.
He
implores
her,
equipped
with
a
fat
diamond
engagement
ring
and

saying,
“I
love
you,”
and
the
female
political
journalist
goes
weak
in
the
knees,
and

into
his
arms.

Lions
for
Lambs
(2007),
Janine
Roth:
24

Janine
Roth,
a
veteran
liberal
TV
reporter
covering
politics
for
40
years,
heads
to
a

Republican
senator’s
office
for
a
one-‐on-‐one
interview.
Roth,
played
by
Meryl

Streep,
asks
Senator
Jasper
Irving,
played
by
Tom
Cruise,
when
his
“pit
bull”
public

relations
representative
will
join
them.
Irving
says
the
PR
representative
won’t
be

present,
so
no
one
will
be
there
to
intercept
her
“trick
questions.”
25

This
is
said
in
a

tone
of
jest,
although
they
both
know
Roth
is
not
one
to
hold
back.
A
battle
of

semantics
and
patriotism
ensues,
with
Roth
making
better
points
than
the
senator

does
on
the
Iraq
war.
26

The
main
reason
Roth
was
invited
to
speak
with
the
senator

was
because
he
wants
Roth
to
write
a
story
on
a
new
war
plan
in
Afghanistan.
Roth

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

15

and
Irving
have
history;
she
wrote
a
favorable
piece
early
in
his
career
that
helped

get
him
elected.
Now
he
claims
he
wants
to
“return
the
favor”
by
letting
Roth
get
her

hands
on
an
exclusive
story.
But
Roth
sees
it
as
a
way
for
him
to
spin
the
media

coverage
on
his
war
plan.

When
the
hour
is
up,
and
the
senator
has
explained
the
new
war
initiative,

Roth
heads
back
to
the
newsroom
where
she
dukes
it
out
with
her
editor.
He
sees
it

as
an
exclusive
story
and
she
sees
it
as
bad
journalism.
She
tells
her
editor,
“We

don’t
have
to
broadcast
everything
the
government
wants
us
to.”
27

Another
thought-‐provoking
subject
that
is
merely
touched
upon
in
the
film
is

ageism
in
coverage
of
political
news.
During
the
argument
with
her
editor,
he
says,

“Listen
to
me.
You’re
57
years
old.
You’ve
got
a
mother
that
needs
24-‐hour
care
now.

What
other
network
is
going
to
snatch
you
up
after
this,
huh?”
28

The
age
and
beauty

bias
is
especially
true
for
televised
news.
In
Judith
Marlane’s
book
Women
in

Television
News
Revisited,
CBS
correspondent
Richard
Threlkeld
addresses
the

gender
bias
regarding
appearance:

“If
you’re
a
man,
you
look
distinguished
as
you
get
older,
and
if
you’re
a

woman,
the
perception
is
you
just
look
older…David
Brinkley
is
still
on

television,
and
Mike
Wallace
is
still
on
television,
and
a
lot
of
women
we

knew,
like
Marlene
Sanders
and
others
aren’t.”
29

Roth
is
a
perfect
example
of
such
ageism
in
the
broadcast
news
industry
in
Lions
for

Lambs.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

16

IMPACT

Awards,
box-‐office
sales,
and
the
amount
of
films
watched
per
year
help

measure
the
impact
of
these
films.
More
than
67
percent
of
Americans
went
to
the

movies
in
2011.
30

Approximately
1,600
discs
are
rented
from
RedBox,
a
vending

machine
for
DVD
rentals,
every
minute
—
which
extrapolates
to
1.2
million
rentals

per
day.
31

Americans
streamed
3.4
billion
movies
from
home
in
2012.
32

Netflix,
the

world’s
largest
subscription
streaming
service
that
also
provides
mail
service
for

renting
DVD’s,
has
33
million
subscribers.
They
stream
more
than
a
billion
hours
of

TV
shows
and
movies
off
of
Netflix
every
month,
though,
admittedly,
the
majority
of

user
watch
television
shows.
33

In
1999,
Woman
of
the
Year
was
entered
into
the
National
Film
Registry
by

the
Library
of
Congress
for
being
“culturally,
historically,
or
aesthetically

significant.”
34

Katharine
Hepburn,
who
plays
Tess
Harding,
also
was
nominated
at
the
15
th

Academy
Awards
for
Best
Actress.
The
film
won
an
Oscar
for
Best
Original

Screenplay
and
Best
Writing.
The
film
was
adapted
as
a
Broadway
musical
in
1981,

and
subsequently
won
a
Tony
award.
35

The
Ides
of
March
(2011)
was
nominated
for
an
Academy
Award
in
2011,
and

grossed
nearly
$76
million
worldwide
at
the
box
office.

36

Famed
movie
critic
Roger
Ebert
called
State
of
Play
(2009)
“a
smart,

ingenious
thriller.”
37

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

17

Ebert
also
gave
high
marks
for
the
film
Nothing
but
the
Truth
(2008),
stating

that
the
movie
is
“is
a
finely
crafted
film
of
people
and
ideas,
of
the
sort
more

common
before
the
movie
mainstream
became
a
sausage
factory.”
He
urged
the

audience
to
watch
the
film,
saying
it
is
“far
above
the
‘straight-‐to-‐DVD’
category,
and

I
hope
filmgoers
discover
that.”
38

Due
to
budget
constraints,
the
film
was
not

released
on
a
wide
scale,
missing
its
opportunity
for
awards
and
nominations.

Thank
You
for
Smoking
(2005)
won
10
awards.
It
was
nominated
for
20,

including
Golden
Globes
for
best
actor:
comedy
or
musical
(Aaron
Eckhart),
and
best

motion
picture:
comedy
or
musical.
39

The
Senator
Was
Indiscreet
(1942)
scooped
up
a
New
York
Film
Critics
Circle

award
for
best
actor
for
William
Powell,
who
plays
the
bumbling
senator
that

character
Poppy
McNaughton
ultimately
smears
in
her
article.
40

As
demonstrated
in
these
films,
the
image
of
the
female
political
journalist
—

sassy,
smart,
and
above
all
masculine
—
reaches
a
wide
audience,
and
affirms
what

the
public
thinks
about
female
journalists
in
real
life.

TWO-‐FACED:
EACH
FEMALE
POLITICAL
JOURNALIST
HAS
MORE
THAN
ONE
SIDE

Each
character
in
the
chosen
films
exhibits
two
sides
of
her
persona,

regardless
of
the
film’s
time
period.
One
side
can
be
tough
and
professional,
while

the
other
can
be
needy
or
searching
for
love.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

18

Another
facet
of
the
two-‐faced
personality
is
when
the
characters
in
the
film

violate
the
ethics
of
journalism.
Some
of
the
female
political
reporters
in
the
films

pretend
to
be
friends
with
sources,
or,
worse
yet,
lie
about
who
they
are.

In
The
Ides
of
March
(2011),
Ida
Horowicz,
as
played
by
Tomei,
is
a
sharp

political
journalist
who
is
friendly
with
the
campaign
managers.
She
has
drinks
with

them
and
discusses
politics.
This
method
of
fraternization
is
how
she
gets
her

scoops
and
information
that
leads
to
stories.
In
a
Los
Angeles
Times
review
of
The

Ides
of
March
(2011),
film
critic
Kenneth
Turan
calls
the
Horowicz
“a
hard-‐driving

New
York
Times
reporter
who
is
as
ruthless
and
cynical
as
any
of
the
people
she

covers.”
41

Toward
the
middle
of
the
movie,
her
campaign
manager
“friend”
played
by

Ryan
Gosling
needs
her
help.
She
says
to
him:
“Let’s
get
real…the
only
reason
you

treated
me
well
is
because
I
work
for
the
Times,
not
because
I’m
your
friend…You

give
me
what
I
want,
I
write
you
better
stories,
don’t
pretend
it’s
any
more
than

that.”
42

Horowicz
played
the
role
that
was
necessary
at
the
time
to
get
what
she

needed
and
nothing
more.
She
is
two-‐faced.

In
Washington
Story
(1952),
the
female
political
journalist
comes
to

Washington,
D.C.,
dressed
to
the
nines
and
meets
her
colleague,
commentator

Gilbert
Nunnally
(Philip
Ober).
After
asking
if
she’d
like
to
be
squired
about
town,

she
tells
him
she
really
doesn’t
want
to
impose
on
him.
He
sees
through
her
damsel

in
distress
act,
and
says,
“The
wide-‐eyed
approach
is
most
effective
in
Washington,

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

19

but
not
on
me.”
She
then
reveals
what
she
really
has
on
her
mind
—
getting
a
juicy,

salacious
story
at
all
costs.

By
the
end
of
the
film,
however,
she
has
fallen
in
love

with
the
very
congressman
she
is
trying
to
get
dirt
on.

She
cans
her
first
story,

realizing
her
subject
is
an
honest
man;
she
corrects
the
error
of
her
ways.
She

embodies
the
“two-‐faced”
image
for
the
majority
of
the
film.
She
lies
about
what

publication
she
works
for,
initially
telling
the
congressman
she
works
for
the

National
Women’s
Home
Gazette.
She
also
lies
about
her
intentions,
and
gets

romantically
involved
with
her
subject.

There
isn’t
one
point
in
the
film
when
she

isn’t
double-‐crossing
someone,
whether
it
is
a
fellow
journalist,
or
the
subject
of
her

story
who
also
happens
to
be
her
love
interest.

Contemporary
female
political
reporters
don’t
always
fall
for
the
guy.

In
the

last
decade,
female
political
reporters
have
had
fewer
love
interests
that
define

them
as
characters.
The
film
State
of
Play
(2009),
based
on
the
BBC-‐TV
series,

features
a
young
blogger
who
is
shown
the
ropes
by
seasoned
male
reporter
Cal

McAffrey.
Although
they
work
closely
together,
they
don’t
fall
in
love.

It
is
clear
she

admires
him
as
a
journalist,
and
even
cries
on
his
shoulder.
She
is
able
to
focus
on

the
journalism
itself,
but
isn’t
as
hardened
as
female
political
journalists
in
other

films.
She
is
a
“cub
reporter”
43

taking
whatever
advice
McAffrey
dishes
out
to
her.

In
Lions
for
Lambs
(2007),
Janine
Roth,
a
veteran
liberal
TV
reporter,
has
a

flirtatious
back-‐and-‐forth
with
young
presidential
hopeful
Jasper
Irving,
who
is

serving
up
a
new
plan
of
action
in
the
Afghanistan
war.
She
does
not
have
any

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

20

romantic
interest
in
Irving.
In
fact,
she
doesn’t
have
a
love
interest
in
the
film
at
all.

But
she
does
say
what’s
really
on
her
mind
once
she
returns
to
her
editor’s
office.

She
is
dubious
of
Irving’s
intentions
with
this
story,
and
says
flat-‐out
that
she

believes
it
is
“bogus,”
but
she
never
tells
Irving
this
to
his
face.
44

In
real
life,
journalists
obtain
information
and
distribute
it
to
the
public.
In

such
a
role,
he
or
she
wields
the
power
to
disseminate
information
to
the
public.
In

Media
Effects
on
Political
and
Social
Trust,
Patricia
Moy
and
Dietram
Scheufele

elaborate
on
the
importance
of
political
journalists.
“Two
of
the
most
important
and

intertwined
arenas
in
America
are
journalism
and
politics.
These
domains
create
a

cycle
that
on
good
days
undergirds
democracy:
Politicians
speak
to
journalists,
news

media
report
on
policies
and
campaigns,
and
citizens
draw
on
these

communications
to
learn
about
politicians,
and
to
form
vote
decisions.”
45

In
exploring
the
image
of
the
female
journalist
without
politics,
scholars
have

revealed
the
“sob
sister”
dichotomy.

A
female
journalist
can
be
viewed
as
two-‐faced

as
well.
In
Joe
Saltzman’s
Sob
Sisters:
The
Image
of
the
Female
Journalist
in
Popular

Culture,
he
describes
the
image
of
the
female
reporter
in
the
1930s
and
1940s
as
a

woman
who
“was
considered
an
equal
by
doing
a
man’s
work,
a
career
woman

drinking
and
arguing
toe-‐to-‐toe
with
any
male
in
the
shop,
and
holding
her
own

against
everyone.
Yet
this
tough
reporter
often
showed
her
soft
side
and
cried
long

and
hard
when
the
man
she
loved
treated
her
like
a
sister
instead
of
a
lover.
46
”

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

21

This
image
illustrates
the
dichotomy
of
the
role
a
female
journalist
has
to
play,

which
is
exacerbated
when
it
comes
to
the
female
political
journalist
in
film.

The
representation
of
the
female
political
journalist
in
film
reveals
that
the

public
feels
most
comfortable
with
is
the
single,
hardened,
two-‐faced
woman
with

masculine
traits.
Though
occasionally
it
can
be
positive,
ultimately
this
portrayal
can

be
damaging.

This
image
is
taken
as
truth
for
many
members
of
the
public,
and

because
of
the
power
a
political
journalist
has,
this
view
can
have
a
great
impact
on

how
all
female
journalists
are
viewed.

The
public
obtains
much
of
its
information

regarding
politics,
the
foundation
of
what
we
are
able
and
unable
to
do
in
a
society,

from
news
reports.

Rarely
is
a
citizen
able
to
interview
a
public
figure
directly
or

dig
deeper
to
find
out
if
everything
the
politician
said
is
true.

Political
journalists

have
this
power,
whether
they
realize
it
or
not.

As
Joe
Saltzman
writes
in
The
Image

of
the
Washington
Journalist
in
Movies
and
Television,
1932-‐2013,
“Many
of
the

Washington
journalists
in
films
and
television
program
serve
this
watchdog

function
acting
as
the
public’s
representative,
a
member
of
the
fourth
estate,
to

make
sure
that
those
who
wield
power
are
doing
so
in
service
of
the
people
and
not

for
personal,
political
or
financial
gain.”
47

The
images
from
this
powerful
medium
can
be
seen
as
truth,
or
quite
close
to

it.

The
exploration
of
the
image
of
the
female
political
journalist
in
film
is
necessary

so
that
the
public
may
reconsider
preconceived
notions
about
reality
versus
what
is

portrayed
in
the
media.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

22

MASCULINITY

In
the
realm
of
journalism,
women
historically
haven’t
held
positions
of

authority
as
often
as
men
have.
This
situation
is
common
in
politics.

Though
in
the

last
five
years,
enrollment
in
journalism
schools
has
been
spiking
48

with
women

making
up
nearly
two-‐thirds
of
enrollment
consistently,
49

male
journalists
made
up

63
percent
of
the
newspaper
staff
and
two-‐thirds
of
bloggers
in
2010.
50

Female
journalists
have
had
to
balance
the
two
sides
of
their
personality
—

the
feminine
side
preferred
by
society,
and
the
masculine
traits
it
takes
to
get
their

jobs
done
in
journalism.
51

In
covering
American
politics,
the
demand
for
masculinity
is
greater.
In
He

Wrote,
She
Wrote,
an
academic
work
that
focuses
on
politics,
journalism
style,
and

gender
Lindsay
Meeks
says:

“American
journalism
and
politics
have
long
been
considered
‘masculinized’

domains.
Historically,
this
masculinization
has
occurred
because
of
a
lack
of

female
access
and
representation.
In
journalism,
for
much
of
America’s
early

history,
most
women
did
not
receive
formalized
education
and
were
either

illiterate
or
semiliterate,
a
reality
that
kept
most
women
out
of
the
news,

including
its
production
and
consumption.”

Because
of
the
perception
that
males
needed
be
in
charge
of
masculine
topics

like
politics,
women
were
forced
to
focus
on
“soft
news.”

A
“sob
sister”
as
defined
by

Howard
Good
in
Girl
Reporter,
is
a
female
who
covered
the
emotional
side
of
the

story:
“Most
women
reporters
resented
this
label
because
it
reinforced
the

stereotype
of
women
as
big-‐hearted
and
soft-‐minded,
emotionally
generous
but

intellectually
sloppy.”

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

23

This
is
plainly
demonstrated
in
Lions
for
Lambs
(2007)
when
Janine
Roth,

played
by
Meryl
Streep,
the
female
TV
reporter,
speaks
with
her
editor
about
the

story
Republican
senator
Jasper
Irving
wants
to
spoon-‐feed
to
her
in
order
to
get

good
coverage.
Roth
tells
her
editor
Howard,
played
by
Kevin
Dunn,
that
she
cannot

write
the
story
that
the
senator
gave
to
her.
He
taunts
her,
asking,
“Are
you
feeling
a

teensy
conscience
attack?”
52

The
conversation
elevates,
and
Roth
pleads
with
her

editor
to
not
leave
her
alone
in
this
fight,
a
fight
she
believes
is
for
preserving
what

journalism
is
supposed
to
be:
a
check
on
the
government’s
powers.
“If
we
don’t
do

this,
Howard,
who
is
going
to
do
it?
This
is
the
job!”
53

Roth
implores.
Her
editor

takes
a
jab
at
her
femininity
and
responds,
“You
turn
in
some
loony,
speculative,

what-‐if
story
based
on
what?
A
woman’s
intuition?
I
expected
more
from
you,

Janine.”
54

Early
on,
women
were
employed
at
newspapers
to
give
a
“feminine
touch”

and
appeal
to
female
readers.
55

They
were
not
hired
because
they
were
finally
being

treated
as
equally
capable
beings.

“Historically,
the
role
of
the
female
newspaper

writer
has
been
to
leaven
the
serious
(male)
stuff.”
56

The
female
political
reporter
must
deal
with
all
of
the
hardships
and

stereotypes
that
a
female
journalist
does,
but
also
must
take
on
a
more
masculine

role,
due
to
the
fact
that
politics
in
American
society
is
still
seen
as
a
male-‐
dominated
culture.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

24

Judy
Muller,
former
ABC
correspondent
with
30
plus
years
of
experience
and

current
University
of
Southern
California
journalism
professor,
recounts
an

experience
from
her
early
years
working
in
radio:

“I
remember
Mike
Wallace,
who
was
a
correspondent
for
60
Minutes,
came

into
the
newsroom
and
I
was
there
at
my
typewriter
and
he
goes,
‘You!
You’re
the

woman
with
the
balls
in
her
voice!’
and
he
meant
that
as
a
compliment.”

Muller
explained
that
in
the
early
days
of
radio,
men
read
the
news
because
a

woman’s
voice
held
no
authority;
frankly,
they
“sounded
like
girls.”
57

Lindsay
Meeks
writes
in
He
Wrote,
She
Wrote,
that
“in
2006,
when
Katie

Couric
was
announced
as
the
first
solo
network
anchorwoman,
Larry
King
pointedly

asked
Walter
Cronkite
whether
news
of
war
should
be
delivered
in
a
male
voice…In

her
2012
graduation
commencement
speech
at
the
University
of
Virginia,
Couric

said,
‘Some
said
I
lacked
“gravitas”
[for
the
position],
which
I’ve
since
decided
is

Latin
for
‘testicles.’”
58

Another
issue
that
the
female
political
journalist
must
deal
with
is
finding

herself
in
the
minority:

“A
relatively
unequal
representation
of
women
in
the
profession
is

something
American
politics
and
journalism
share.
For
example,
as
of
2012,

women
were
approximately
38%
of
the
daily
newsroom
workforce
and
17%

of
the
U.S.
Congress.
Furthermore,
as
of
2012,
no
woman
owned
a

metropolitan
newspaper
or
national
news
outlet,
and
no
woman
had
been

elected
U.S.
president.
Therefore,
women
are
the
minority
in
both
news
and

politics,
and
no
woman
holds
the
highest
position
within
either
field.
59
”

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

25

In
film,
the
female
political
journalist
is
tough,
beautiful,
witty,
and
willing
to

do
anything
to
get
the
story,
including
sleeping
with
her
source.
More
than
one
of

the
female
political
journalists
in
the
films
examined
slept
with
sources
or

colleagues
because
they
simply
felt
like
it.

A
man
in
political
journalism
understands
how
to
play
“the
game.”
In
The

Senator
Was
Indiscreet,
lead
female
journalist
Poppy
says
she
plans
to
quote
the

senator
accurately.
Her
male
counterpart
and
public
relations
officer
Lew
Gibson

says,
“That’s
not
fair,
Poppy!
You
can
go
around
quoting
politicians
accurately.

That’s
dirty
journalism
and
you
know
it!”
60

UNETHICAL
BEHAVIOR

According
to
the
Society
of
Professional
Journalists’
Code
of
Ethics,
a

journalist
must:
“Avoid
undercover
or
other
surreptitious
methods
of
gathering

information
except
when
traditional
open
methods
will
not
yield
information
vital

to
the
public.
Use
of
such
methods
should
be
explained
as
part
of
the
story.”
61

In
the
films
examined,
three
out
of
nine
female
political
journalists
commit

the
cardinal
sin
of
sleeping
with
sources.
Three
out
of
nine
sleep
with
work

colleagues
and
one
of
those
is
also
considered
a
source.
Two
out
of
nine
allude
to

sleeping
with
sources
or
using
their
sexual
appeal
to
get
information
out
of
a
source.

Kingsley,
in
Washington
Story,
slept
with
her
source,
a
politician.
Her
ethics

violations
are
rampant,
from
lying
about
the
publication
she
works
for,
to
becoming

intimate
with
a
source.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

26

In
Thank
You
for
Smoking,
Heather
Holloway
deliberately
sleeps
with
a

source.
She
clearly
has
no
feelings
for
Aaron
Eckhart,
the
source,
and
he
feels

betrayed
after
the
numerous
encounters.
She
is
the
worst
example
of
the
characters

in
film,
because
it's
not
happenstance
that
she
falls
for
a
source
and
ends
up
sleeping

with
him.
She
uses
her
body
to
gain
information
from
a
source,
and
says
it’s
just
her

job.

Poppy
McNaughton,
the
female
political
journalist
in
The
Senator
Was

Indiscreet,
is
engaged
to
the
public
relations
officer
for
the
senator.
The
senator
has

a
diary
with
damning
information
on
members
in
Congress.
Poppy
tries
to
get
her

hands
on
the
diary,
which
is
in
her
fiancé’s
possession.
She
does
not
sleep
with
the

public
relations
officer
just
to
get
the
story,
making
this
violation
of
ethics
less

severe.
However,
in
order
to
maintain
a
professional
relationship
and
ensure
that

viewers
don’t
question
credibility,
this
character
should
have
resigned
from

covering
the
senator.

In
Madison
Avenue,
Peggy
Shannon
is
a
journalist
who
is
persuaded
to
write

about
a
dairy
company
by
her
lover,
who
is
the
dairy
company’s
public
relations

officer.
The
basic
relationship,
from
his
end,
is
that
he
sleeps
with
her
and
she
writes

favorably
about
the
dairy
company.
From
her
standpoint,
she
is
sleeping
with
him

because
she
loves
him,
even
though
she
is
aware
that
giving
someone
favorable

coverage
is
a
violation
of
ethics.
She
writes
an
exposé
on
the
now-‐former
lover

regarding
his
shifty
methods.
In
the
final
scene,
she's
set
to
throw
the
exposé
in
the

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

27

fire.
But
the
public
relations
man
professes
his
love
for
her,
and
although
she's

slightly
resistant,
she
buckles
in
the
end
and
agrees
to
marry
him,
and
forgets
about

the
exposé.
Basically,
she
gives
up
her
hard
work
and
principles
to
cater
to
a
man.

In
State
of
Play,
Della
Frye,
the
cub
reporter,
doesn't
sleep
with
a
source,
but

informs
her
fellow
reporter
that
she
dated
a
source
for
information.

Tomei’s
character
Ida
Horowicz
in
The
Ides
of
March
certainly
doesn’t
have

sex
with
sources
for
information,
but
she
jokes
that
it
might
not
be
a
practice

underneath
her.
In
a
conversation
with
junior
campaign
manager
Stephen,
Ida

discusses
whom
she
prefers
to
get
scoops
from,
and
how
she
gets
those
scoops.
She

says
she
obtains
information
via
“sexual
favors.”
Stephen
says,
“You’re
engaged.”

Ida’s
response:
“If
it
meant
a
good
scoop,
my
fiancé
would
understand.”
62

Real-‐life

female
political
journalist
with
30
plus
years
of
experience
and
Los
Angeles
Times

veteran
Robin
Abcarian
says
the
relationship
displayed
in
The
Ides
of
March
is
not

all
that
farfetched
from
her
standpoint.
“She
played
a
realistic
character
times
ten.
It

was
way
more
intense,
but
who
she
was,
her
ballsy
attitude,
her
big
personality,
her

wheeling
and
dealing,
I
think
it’s
totally
typical
of
a
lot
of
reporters,”
63

Abcarian
says.

In
the
first
half
of
the
20
th

century,
female
political
journalists
were

portrayed
as
cutthroat
in
journalism,
and
at
times
violated
journalism
ethics.
As

Saltzman
wrote
in
Sob
Sisters:
64

“Especially
in
the
movies,
women
reporters
were

independent,
hard-‐boiled
dames
ready
and
willing
to
do
anything
their
male

counterparts
would
do
to
get
a
story.”

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

28

These
violations
of
ethics
occurred
also
in
the
second
half
of
the
century,
but

some
female
political
journalists
in
films
end
up
looking
foolish,
like
Katie
Holmes’s

character
in
Thank
You
for
Smoking.
Heather
Holloway
is
a
political
reporter
for
the

appropriately
named
newspaper
The
Washington
Probe.
She
sleeps
with
her
source,

an
occurrence
that
happened
time
and
again
in
other
films
depicting
female
political

journalists.
65

But
in
Holloway’s
case,
a
“devil”
in
the
tobacco
industry
and
subject
of

Holloway’s
expose,
turns
the
embarrassment
back
on
her.
She
thinks
she’s
very

clever
66

until
he
apologizes
to
the
public
for
the
article
and
for
sleeping
with
a

“seductress”
of
the
press.
Her
career
ends
with
her
becoming
a
weathergirl
for
a

small
broadcast
station,
no
longer
a
smart,
political
female
journalist,
and
getting

slapped
in
the
face
by
palm
fronds
blowing
in
the
inclement
weather.
67

She

continues
to
work
in
journalism,
but
by
the
end
of
the
film,
the
audience
sees
her
as

incompetent
and
unsuccessful.

Female
political
journalists
of
earlier
films,
such
as
Washington
Story
and
The

Senator
Was
Indiscreet,
exhibited
unethical
behavior
as
well.
Kingsley
of
Washington

Story
lies
to
her
source
about
who
she
works
for,
making
up
a
fake
publication

dedicated
to
“soft
news”
to
trick
him
into
letting
her
interview
him.
McNaughton
of

Senator
does
everything
in
her
power
to
steal
a
politician’s
diary
to
write
a
story

that
would
drive
most
members
of
the
senate
out
of
town.

Muller
shows
resentment
at
the
portrayal
of
female
political
journalists

frequently
sleeping
with
sources:

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

29

“It
makes
me
blow
up
when
I
see
it.
I
scream
at
the
television
set.
I
scream
in

the
theater,”
she
said.
“And
they
don’t
often
show
male
reporters
sleeping
with

women
officials.
You
don’t
get
that,
so
that’s
interesting.”
68

MALE
COUNTERPARTS:
BEATEN
BY
A
MAN

The
male
counterparts
in
each
film
outsmart
the
female
political
journalist

despite
the
fact
that
she
may
be
the
star
of
the
film
and
despite
the
fact
that
she
has

proven
herself.
As
noted
by
Good
in
Girl
Reporter,
female
reporters
in
film
many

times
end
up
quitting
their
job
and
settling
down
with
a
husband.
For
the
purpose
of

this
paper,
this
happening
equates
to
a
man
“winning.”
The
female
gives
up
all
she

has
worked
for
in
her
career
to
become
a
housewife;
an
occurrence
also
noted
by

Saltzman:
“Only
when
she
falls
in
love
with
John
Doe
and
tries
to
do
the
right
thing

does
she
gain
redemption.”
69

In
the
films
examined,
the
female
political
journalists

lose
to
their
male
counterparts
in
different
ways
than
just
falling
in
love
and
quitting

their
careers.

In
The
Ides
of
March,
Horowicz
seems
to
be
on
top
of
her
story
—
and
secret

information
—
all
the
time,
even
knowing
facts
that
the
protagonist
doesn’t
have.

Yet
in
the
end,
the
main
character
and
campaign
manager,
Stephen,
outsmarts

everyone,
including
Horowicz.
70

In
Washington
Story,
Kingsley
is
smart
and
capable,
fabricating
a
façade
in

order
to
get
the
scoop
on
a
politician,
but
by
the
end
of
the
film,
she
has
slept
with

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

30

her
source
and
completely
changed
the
slant
of
her
story.
This
follows
the

traditional
trajectory
for
female
journalists.

In
Thank
You
for
Smoking,
Holloway
deliberately
sleeps
with
her
interview

subject
in
the
tobacco
industry
to
get
the
dirt,
and
for
a
period
of
time
he
is
stymied.

But,
true
to
a
recurring
theme
in
these
films,
the
male
in
the
story
—
her
interview

subject
and
lover
—
figures
out
a
way
to
throw
her
underhanded
and
unethical

tactics
in
her
face
and
make
her
look
like
a
fool.
The
male
is
victorious
again.

In
State
of
Play,
Della
Frye
is
smart,
very
capable,
and
earns
her
female

editor’s
respect
for
being
“hungry”
to
work.
She
shows
glimmers
of
excellence

throughout
the
film,
like
when
she
finds
the
scoop
on
a
tabloidesque
story
she

knows
would
sell
papers.
But
her
smarter
and
more
respected
counterpart,

McAffrey,
refuses
to
allow
her
to
write
the
trashy
story.
When
another
outlet

publishes
the
story,
their
editor
wonders
why
Frye
and
McAffrey
didn’t
have
it
first.

This
exchange
reveals
the
female
journalists
in
the
room
were
willing
to
run
with
a

juicy
story
that
lacked
a
hard
news
peg,
and
the
male
journalist
refuses.
His
editor

reprimands
him,
but
the
audience
is
left
feeling
he
is
noble
in
upholding
the
tenets

of
journalism.

Frye
has
her
moments
where
she
appears
to
be
smart,
savvy,
and
hard

working.
Ultimately,
her
male
colleague
is
two
steps
ahead
of
her,
and
saves
the
day

by
breaking
the
real
story
about
a
corrupt
politician.
This
doesn’t
lessen
Frye’s

image,
but
rather
strengthens
McAffrey’s
image
as
the
better
reporter.
What
sets
the

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

31

male
triumph
apart
in
this
film
is
that
the
leading
male
character
didn’t
make
the

female
reporter
fall
in
love
with
him.

In
Nothing
but
the
Truth,
Armstrong
is
resilient
in
her
promise
to
not
reveal

her
source,
despite
jail
time
and
getting
beaten
by
an
inmate.
A
glimmer
of
hope

arises
when
a
judge
orders
her
to
be
freed.
Her
male
counterpart
and
nemesis,
a

prosecutor
portrayed
by
Matt
Dillon
who
has
been
leading
the
charge
to
make
sure

she
cracks,
stops
her
from
being
freed.
She
is
literally
pulling
away
from
the
jail

when
he
rides
up
behind
her
with
other
government
agents
who
re-‐arrest
her.
In

the
end,
Dillon
offers
her
a
deal
—
two
years
in
prison,
which
doesn’t
seem
like
a

deal
at
all.

While
Armstrong
is
in
jail,
honoring
her
pledge
to
never
reveal
her
source,

her
husband
played
by
David
Schwimmer
soon
begins
to
have
an
affair.
Armstrong’s

dedication
to
her
journalistic
ethics
causes
the
rest
of
her
life
to
fall
apart,
including

her
losing
custody
of
her
son.
She
is
such
a
shining
example
of
ethical
journalism

that
her
defense
attorney
Albert
Burnside
(Alan
Alda),
says,
“Some
time
ago,
I
began

to
feel
the
personal,
human
pressure
on
Rachel
Armstrong,
and
I
told
her
that
I
was

there
to
represent
her
and
not
her
principle.
And
it
was
not
until
I
met
her
that
I

realized
that
with
great
people
there's
no
difference
between
principle
and
the

person.”

The
ending,
while
leaving
the
viewer
proud
of
Armstrong
for
sticking
to
her

principles,
is
also
incredibly
frustrating
because
she
loses
everything
else.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

32

Armstrong’s
character
notes
that
there
is
a
double
standard
to
her
situation
based

on
gender
alone,
saying,
“A
man
leaves
his
family
to
go
to
jail
to
protect
a
principle,

and
they
name
a
holiday
after
him.
A
man
leaves
his
children
to
go
fight
in
a
war,

and
they
erect
a
monument
to
him.
A
woman
does
the
same
thing,
and
she's
a

monster.”
The
ending
is
similar
to
the
conclusions
of
earlier
films
with
a
female

reporter
protagonist.
As
Good
noted
in
Girl
Reporter,
“The
working
woman
in

Capra’s
Depression
films...has
one
overriding
function:
to
give
up
her
career
and

freedom
for
the
man
and
shine
on
darkly.”
71
Armstrong
refuses
to
give
up
her

career
and
freedom,
and
loses
very
badly,
with
her
remaining
in
prison
until
the
last

frame
of
the
film.

Janine
Roth
in
Lions
for
Lambs
also
follows
this
thematic
vein
to
the
end.
The

audience
relates
to
her
and
her
struggle
to
do
what
is
right
by
not
broadcasting
a

story
spoon-‐fed
to
the
media.
She
recognizes
that
the
senator
gave
her
an

“exclusive”
story
that
will
look
favorably
upon
him,
and
persuade
the
country
that

he
should
be
the
next
president,
despite
his
assertions
that
he
is
not
seeking
the

seat.
Roth
argues
with
her
editor
to
not
run
the
story,
saying,
“I
can’t
write
the
one

that
he
gave
me.”
Her
editor,
exiting
the
room
and
signaling
that
the
discussion
is

over,
says,
“Well,
I
think
you
ought
to
think
that
over.”
72

The
last
scene
featuring

Roth
shows
her
leaving
the
workplace
and
taking
a
ride
past
all
of
the
capitol’s

monuments,
deep
in
contemplation.
The
next
frames
show
that
the
story
ran
as

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

33

breaking
news
on
the
air,
leaving
the
audience
to
assume
that
Roth
refused
to
write

the
story
and
was
therefore
defeated
by
her
male
editor.

In
Woman
of
the
Year,
the
audience
sees
the
protagonist
Tess
Harding
give
up

everything
to
cater
to
her
husband.
For
example:
In
the
original
ending
of
the
film,

Harding,
clearly
much
smarter
and
successful
than
her
sports
writer
husband,
Sam

Craig,
takes
him
to
a
baseball
game.
Earlier
in
the
film,
she
writes
columns
calling
for

the
stoppage
of
all
baseball
games
until
World
War
II
ends,
which
is
something
Craig

naturally
thinks
is
ludicrous.
In
the
final
scene
at
the
baseball
game,
Harding
ends

up
cheering
and
enjoying
the
game,
showing
that
the
couple
has
a
common
interest.

As
biographer
Anne
Edwards
wrote:

"The
original
ending
of
the
Lardner-‐Kanin
script
had
Tess
Harding
take
an

honest
interest
in
baseball
…
and
become
more
enthusiastic
than
he
at
the
game,

which
implied
not
compromise
but
growth
and
love.”
73

An
interview
with
screenwriter
Ring
Lardner
Jr.,
reveals
that
the
producer

and
director
thought
the
ending
wasn’t
right.
“[Louis
B.]
Mayer
and
[Joseph
L.]

Mankiewicz
and
[George]
Stevens
decided
it
wasn’t
right
for
Hepburn.
She
had
to

get
her
comeuppance
for
being
too
strong
in
a
man’s
world.”
According
to
Anne

Edward’s
biography
A
Remarkable
Woman:
A
Biography
of
Katharine
Hepburn,

director
Stevens
and
producer
Mankiewicz
were
worried
that
"the
average

American
housewife,
seated
next
to
her
husband,
staring
for
two
hours
at
this

paragon
of
beauty,
intelligence,
wit,
accomplishment,
and
everything
else,
[could

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

34

not]
help
but
wonder
if
her
husband
[wasn't]
comparing
her
very
unfavorably
with

this
goddess
he
sees
on
the
screen."
74

Thus
a
breakfast
disaster
scene
was
put
in
place
of
the
original
ending,
in

which
Harding
fumbles
with
such
domestic
tasks
as
making
waffles
and
coffee.
She

fails
miserably.
Lardner
reflected
on
Hepburn’s
reaction
to
the
new
ending
in
an

interview
with
EmmyTVLegends.org:
“Kate
didn’t
like
it
at
all.
Neither
did
we,
but

we
were
powerless.”
In
fact,
Edwards
wrote
that
Hepburn
said
it
was
“the
worst

bunch
of
shit
I’ve
ever
read.”

Hepburn
may
not
have
liked
it,
but
according
to
Edwards,
“Mankiewicz
left
it

in
after
women
at
the
next
preview
cheered,
‘not
only
with
admiration,’
he
said,
‘but

relief.’
Now
they
could
turn
to
their
schmuck
husbands
and
say,
‘She
may
know

Batista,
but
she
can’t
even
make
a
cup
of
coffee,
you
silly
bastard.’”
75

Despite
the
“vulgarization”
of
the
original
script,
viewers
loved
the
film
in
its

entirety,
and
it
won
an
Academy
Award
for
best
original
screenplay.
The
changed

ending
is
a
prime
example
of
how
a
female
political
journalist
in
the
1940s
would

cave
and
yield
to
a
man.
The
final
script
ran
with
Craig
asking,
“You’re
going
to
kiss

me
goodbye
in
the
morning
and
wait
for
me,
loaded
with
a
pipe
and
slippers
and

stories
of
what
you
did
with
the
girls
all
day?”
Harding
exclaims
passionately,
“Yes,

Sam!”
Unable
to
believe
his
wife,
as
a
21
st
-‐century
audience
might
feel
after

watching
heroin
Harding
dominate
him
intellectually
at
every
turn
for
the
previous

80
minutes
of
the
film,
says,
“This
is
the
top
phony
of
them
all!
Every
time
you’ve

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

35

tried
to
duck
an
issue
you
made
love
to
me.”
Harding
reveals
that
it’s
the
absolute

truth,
tearfully
and
jubilantly
telling
him,
“I’m
going
to
give
up
my
job.
I’m
going
to

be
your
wife.”

In
early
21
st

century
films,
the
female
political
journalists
do
not
always
fall

in
love,
but
they
are
always
dominated
by
men,
regardless
of
how
smart
and
heroic

they
appear
to
be
throughout
the
film.

In
an
interview
in
Hacks,
Heels
and
Hollywood,
Sarah
Herman
asks
a
cultural

studies
professor
why
Hollywood
continues
to
portray
female
journalists
this
way

when
the
culture
of
the
industry
continues
to
shift.
Jane
Arthurs
responds:
“First,

there
are
the
standard
conventions
of
Hollywood
film
that
designates
certain
roles

for
heroic
men
as
the
ones
who
drive
the
narrative
to
its
conclusion,
whereas

women
are
either
their
helpmate
or
the
problem
he
has
to
solve.”
76

The
portrayal
of

female
political
journalists,
and
female
journalists,
seems
to
be
a
culturally
accepted

norm
that
society
may
not
be
quite
ready
to
change,
even
when
the
reality
has

changed.

There
is
a
ceiling
for
women
in
American
politics
and
journalism,
and
that

is
portrayed
in
film.
Also
in
Hacks,
Heels,
and
Hollywood,
Dr.
Cynthia
Carter,
a

lecturer
at
Cardiff
University,
says:

“And,
there
is
still
a
tendency
to
find
women
clustered
in
reporting

certain
kinds
of
news
('soft'
sectors,
features,
lifestyle,
etc.)
and
not

others
('hard'
sectors
-‐
politics,
business,
economics,
war,
etc.).
Part

of
this
has
to
do
with
longstanding
sexist
traditions
in
journalism,
but

another
part
has
to
do
with
the
demands
of
the
job,
where
it
is
easier

to
juggle
a
personal
life
and
a
journalistic
career
doing
journalism

that
has
typically
been
regarded
as
'feminine.'”
77

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

36

CONCLUSION

The
female
political
journalist
is
a
figure
very
similar
to
the
image
of
the

female
journalist
documented
in
works
like
Girl
Reporter.
The
main
deviation
is
that

over
the
course
of
several
decades,
the
female
political
journalist
does
not
always

redeem
herself
by
quitting
journalism
to
become
a
housewife
as
was
often
seen
in

the
1940s.

While
culture
in
the
American
newsroom
shifts,
Hollywood
portrayals
have

been
slow
to
catch
up
to
reality.
Researching
the
image
of
the
female
journalist,
and

female
political
journalist,
will
enable
the
public
to
recognize
these
subtle
halts
to

achieving
on-‐screen
equality.

The
image
morphs
over
time
from
a
ballsy
woman
who
gives
everything
up

to
be
a
good
little
housewife,
to
a
ballsy
reporter
that
is
going
to
remain
that
way,

regardless
of
what
anyone
thinks
of
her.

This
change
began
in
the
last
few
decades.
Likely
the
changing
times
of

women
entering
the
workforce
had
an
impact
on
film
making,
forcing
directors
and

writers
to
take
a
hard
look
at
what
would
be
considered
a
dated
concept,
such
as
a

women
throwing
away
years
of
a
career
she
can
be
proud
of
to
simply
become
a

baby-‐making
machine.

Although
many
women
were
never
quite
on
board
with
the
idea
of
the
image

of
the
workingwoman
giving
everything
up
to
be
housewives
(like
actress
Katharine

Hepburn
protested),
it
took
nearly
30
years
for
the
silver
screen
to
catch
up.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

37

While
films
have
made
great
strides
in
avoiding
pigeon-‐holing
female

political
reporters
as
women
that
need
end
up
in
love,
there
are
scenes
in
each
film

that
at
the
very
least
touch
on
the
stereotype
that
women
are
creatures
that
need
to

be
loved.

Despite
Della
Frye’s
tough
girl
persona
in
State
of
Play,
there
is
a
scene
where

she
runs
into
the
open
arms
of
Cal
McAffrey,
the
seasoned
male
journalist,
after

someone
dies.
She
cries
on
her
shoulder
as
he
reminds
her
that
it’s
all
in
a
day’s

work.
The
audience
surely
needed
a
reminder
of
her
femininity
after
the
long
hours

plowing
away
at
hard-‐core
journalism.

In
Nothing
But
the
Truth,
Armstrong
faces
scrutiny
in
conversations
with
her

husband,
begging
her
to
reveal
her
source
and
come
home
to
her
family.
He
all
but

asks
her,
“What
kind
of
a
mother
are
you?”

The
image
of
the
spinster
still
exists,
as
shown
by
Roth’s
character
in
Lions

for
Lambs,
as
the
writers
had
no
qualms
about
taking
jabs
at
the
fact
that
Roth
is
old

and
has
an
elderly
mother
–
not
a
husband
–
to
take
care
of.

These
examples
all
show
that
though
the
film
portrayal
of
female
political

journalists
has
come
a
long
way,
the
job
is
not
completely
finished.

Real
life
female
political
journalists
find
the
plot
twist
of
sex
with
sources

laughable.
The
real
life
female
political
journalists
interviewed
for
this
work
also
say

they
rarely
see
true
to
life
portrayals
on
screen,
save
for
perhaps
Ida
Horowicz
in

The
Ides
of
March.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

38

The
reason
for
that
is
likely
because
real
life
isn’t
always
as
sexy
or

provocative
as
a
movie
must
be
to
sell
theater
tickets
and
DVDs.

Because
of
this,
female
political
reporters
in
film
will
likely
forever
be

resigned
to
the
image
of
the
reporter
who
is
brash,
ballsy,
sexually
appealing,
and

willing
to
do
anything
and
everything
to
get
the
story
of
her
life,
but
still
won’t
end

up
on
top.
That’s
the
man’s
job.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

39

END
NOTES

1

Sarah
Herman,
“Hacks,
Heels
and
Hollywood:
How
accurately
do
recent
film
portrayals
of
women
journalists

reflect
the
working
world
and
their
real-‐life
counterparts?”
(University
of
Southern
California,
2004-‐2005).

2

Amanda
Marie
Rossie,
“Beauty,
Brains
and
Bylines:
Comparing
the
Female
Journalist
in
the
Fiction
of
Sherryl

Woods
and
Sarah
Shankman”
(University
of
Southern
California,
2009).

3

Joe
Saltzman-‐Liz
Mitchell,
"The
Image
of
the
Washington
Journalist
in
Movies
and
Television,
1932-‐2013,"

Unpublished
Manuscript.

4

Ibid
pp.
27.
“Any
female
reporter
has
to
be
ambitious,
feisty,
eager
to
out
scoop
the
men
around
her,
and
willing

to
sacrifice
her
career
if
necessary
to
be
with
the
man
she
loves.”

5

Howard
Good,
Girl
Reporter:
Gender,
Journalism,
and
the
Movies
(Metuchen,
NJ:
Scarecrow
Press,
1998).

6

Marlane,
Judith.
Women
in
Televised
News
Revisited.
(USA:
University
of
Texas
Press,
1999).

7

Lindsey
Meeks,
“He
Wrote,
She
Wrote:
Journalist
Gender,
Political
Office,
and
Campaign
News.”
Journalism
&

Mass
Communication
Quarterly.
March
2013
90:
58-‐74.
January
10,
2013
(accessed
February
19,
2013).

8

Gross,
Kimberly.
A
Panel
Study
of
Media
Effects
on
Political
and
Social
Trust
After
September
11,
2001.
2004.

http://hij.sagepub.com/content/9/4/49
(accessed
February
15,
2013).

9

“The
Image
of
the
Journalist
in
Popular
Culture
Database,”
accessed
February
4,
2014,

http://www.ijpc.org/database/searchform

10

The
Ides
of
March.
Directed
by
George
Clooney.
USA:
Columbia
Pictures,
2011.

11

Woman
of
the
Year.
Directed
by
George
Stevens.

USA:
Metro-‐Goldwyn-‐Mayer,
1942.

12

As
Tess
Harding
heads
out
to
receive
her
award
for
“Woman
of
the
Year,”
her
husband
Sam
Craig
is
fed
up

when
she
suggests
they
leave
their
newly
adopted
son
alone
in
the
house.
Adopting
the
boy
was
originally
her

idea,
and
it
was
a
move
she
made
so
she
could
keep
up
appearances
in
her
career.
“It’s
too
bad
I’m
not
covering

this
banquet
because
I’ve
got
an
outstanding
angle.

The
outstanding
woman
of
the
year
isn’t
a
woman
at
all!”

Woman
of
the
Year,
(1942).
Time
code:
1:48:45.

13

Washington
Story.
Directed
by
Robert
Pirosh.
USA:
Metro-‐Goldwyn-‐Mayer
Corp,
1952.

14

Libby,
Sara.
Why
Are
Girl
Journalists
in
Movies
So
Lame?
“Crazy
Heart”
continues
the
tradition.
Jan.
27,
2010.

http://www.doublex.com/section/arts/why-‐are-‐girl-‐journalists-‐movies-‐so-‐lame?page=0,1
(accessed
April
2,

2013).

15

State
of
Play.
Directed
by
Kevin
MacDonald.
USA:
Universal
Pictures,
2009.

16

Nothing
But
the
Truth.
Directed
by
Rod
Lurie.

USA:
Yari
Film
Group,
2008.

17

“Beckinsale
has
a
great
moment
when
she
acknowledges
the
double
standard
of
women/mothers
sticking
up

for
principle
to
the
emotional
harm
of
their
children
("you
can
trust
reporters,
unless
they're
mothers,
cause

then
they'll
eventually
crack"),
and
every
major
character
is
portrayed
as
intelligent,
principled,
and
at
least

partially
sympathetic.”
Scott
Mendelson,
“Review:
Nothing
but
the
Truth,”
Huffington
Post,
December
11,
2008,

accessed
February
4,
2014.
www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-‐mendelson/review-‐nothing-‐but-‐the-‐
tr_b_150128.html

18

Scott
Mendelson,
“Review:
Nothing
but
the
Truth,”
Huffington
Post,
December
11,
2008,
accessed
February
4,

2014.
www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-‐mendelson/review-‐nothing-‐but-‐the-‐tr_b_150128.html

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

40

19

The
Senator
was
Indiscreet.
Directed
by
George
S.
Kaufman.
USA:
Universal
Pictures,
1947.

20

Ibid.
Time
code:
00:06:50.

21

Madison
Avenue.
Directed
by
H.
Bruce
Humberstone.
USA:
Twentieth
Century
Fox,
1962.

22

Ibid,
time
code:
00:06:15.

23

Ibid,
time
code:
1:14:10.

24

Lions
for
Lambs.
Directed
by
Robert
Redford.
USA:
Metro-‐Goldwyn-‐Mayer,
2007.

25

After
settling
with
her
notepad
in
hand,
Janine
Roth
asks
Senator
Jasper
Irving,
“Are
we
waiting
for
your
PR

pit
bull,
or?”
Jasper
Irving
responds,
“No.
It’s
just
you
and
me.
No
one
to
intercept
your
trick
questions.”

Surprised
at
the
access,
Roth
rolls
the
words
around
in
her
mouth,
“One
on
one
time.”
Ibid.
Time
code:
00:04:21

26

“The
movie
is
anti-‐Bush's
war,
I
guess.
The
journalist
makes
better
points
than
the
senator,
anyway.”

Ebert,
Roger.
Movie
review,
Lions
for
Lambs:
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lions-‐for-‐lambs-‐2007

November
8,
2007.

27

Janine
Roth
tells
her
editor
Howard,
“We
don’t
have
to
broadcast
everything
the
government
wants
us
to.”
He

retorts,
without
skipping
a
beat,
“No,
we
broadcast
news.”
Lions
for
Lambs,
time
code:
01:12:48.

28

Ibid,
time
code:
01:17:08.

29

Marlane,
Women
in
Television
News
Revisited,
36.

30

Theatrical
Market
Statistics,
Motion
Picture
Association
of
America,
accessed
May
13,
2013,

http://www.mpaa.org/resources/5bec4ac9-‐a95e-‐443b-‐987b-‐bff6fb5455a9.pdf

31

Redbox
Statistics.
StatisticsBrain.com,
accessed
May
11,
2013,
http://www.statisticbrain.com/redbox-‐
statistics/

32

Ben
Fritz,
“Internet
to
surpass
DVD
in
movie
consumption,
not
revenue,”
Los
Angeles
Times,
March
23,
2012,

accessed
May
13,
2013,
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/03/internet-‐to-‐
surpass-‐dvd-‐in-‐movie-‐consumption-‐not-‐revenue.html

33

“Today
three
times
as
many
Americans
subscribe
to
Netflix’s
streaming
service
as
to
its
DVD-‐by-‐mail
offering,

and
about
70
percent
of
what
they
watch
is
television.
Overall,
33
million
subscribers
stream
more
than
a
billion

hours
of
Netflix
content
every
month,
using
one-‐third
of
peak
US
bandwidth
to
do
so.”
Willa
Paskin,
“The
New

rules
of
the
Hyper-‐Social,
Data-‐Driven,
Actor-‐Friendly,
Super-‐Seductive
Platinum
Age
of
Television:
Rules
9
&

10,”
Wired.com,
March
3,
2013,
accessed
February
4,
2014.

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/03/netflix/

34

National
Film
Registry,
“Woman
of
the
Year,”
accessed
February
4,
2014,

http://www.loc.gov/film/filmnfr.html

35

Turner
Classic
Movies,
“Woman
of
the
Year,”
accessed
February
4,
2014,
http://www.tcm.com/this-‐
month/article/31487%7C0/Woman-‐of-‐the-‐Year.html

36

“The
Ides
of
March.”
BoxOfficeMojo.com.
2011.
http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=idesofmarch.htm

37

Roger
Ebert,
“Movie
review:
State
of
Play,”
April
15,
2009,
accessed
February
4,
2014,

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/state-‐of-‐play-‐2009

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

41

38

“In
the
ordinary
course
of
events,
it
would
have
had
a
high-‐profile
release
and
plausibly
won
nominations.
But

the
economic
downturn
struck
down
its
distributor,
the
film
missed
its
release
window,
and
its
life
must
be
on

DVD.
It
is
far
above
the
"straight-‐to-‐DVD"
category,
and
I
hope
filmgoers
discover
that.”
Roger
Ebert,
“Movie

review:
Nothing
But
the
Truth,”
April
29,
2008,
accessed
February
4,
2014,

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nothing-‐but-‐the-‐truth-‐2009

39

Internet
Movie
Database,
accessed
December
12,
2013,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427944/awards.

40

“Movies:
The
Senator
Was
Indiscreet
(1947),”
New
York
Times,
accessed
February
4,
2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/43688/The-‐Senator-‐Was-‐Indiscreet/details

41

Los
Angeles
Times,
Movie
Review:
The
Ides
of
March.
October
7,
2011.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/07/entertainment/la-‐et-‐ides-‐of-‐march-‐20111007

Accessed:
4/2/2013.

42

The
Ides
of
March,
time
code:
00:52:50

43

“The
cub
reporters,
still
around,
haven’t
changed
much
over
the
years,
except
they
are
now
usually
female.

Cubs
still
are
ridiculed
by
seasoned
journalists
until
they
learn
the
ropes.
They
usually
trip
up
before
finding
the

scoop
or
at
least
the
front-‐page
story
that
turns
them
into
respected
veterans.”
Joe
Saltzman,
Frank
Capra
and

the
Image
of
the
Journalist
in
American
Film,
(An
Image
of
the
Journalist
in
Popular
Culture
(IJPC)
Publication,

Los
Angeles,
CA,
2002),
p.
143.

44

Roth
tells
her
editor,
Howard,
“I
just
came
away
with
a
bad
feeling….It
feels
bogus.”
Disbelieving,
Howard

responds,
“Are
you
getting
paid
to
investigate
your
feelings?”
Lions
for
Lambs,
time
code:
01:15:14

45

Patricia
Moy
and
Dietram
Scheufele,
“Media
effects
on
political
and
social
trust.”
A
Journalism
and
Mass

Communication
Quarterly;
Winter
2000;
77,
4;
ProQuest.
p.
744

46

Joe
Saltzman,
Sob
Sisters:
The
Image
of
the
Female
Journalist
in
Popular
Culture,
2003,

http://ijpc.org/sobsmaster.html
(accessed
February
4,
2014)
p.
4.

47

Joe
Saltzman-‐Liz
Mitchell,
"The
Image
of
the
Washington
Journalist
in
Movies
and
Television,
1932-‐2013,"

Unpublished
Manuscript,
pp.
13.

48

Frederick,
Brian.
Women
dominate
J-‐School
Enrollment.

49

“Women
continue
to
make
up
nearly
two-‐thirds
of
those
enrolled
in
journalism
and
mass
communication

programs,
but
ratio
is
now
static.”
2010
Annual
Service
of
Journalism
&
Mass
Communication
Enrollments.

50

Data
collected
by
The
Op
Ed
Project
included
statistics
by
the
Global
Media
Monitoring
Project
and
Census

data
from
2010.
“In
no
medium,
region,
or
news
topic
did
the
female-‐male
ratio
approach
parity.

Women’s

visibility
in
the
news
was
extremely
and
uniformly
low.”

51

“This
creates
a
dichotomy
faced
by
most
women
in
fiction
at
the
turn
of
the
century
—
maintaining
their

compassionate,
feminine
nature
as
defined
by
the
time
while
still
exhibiting
the
so-‐call
masculine
traits
of

journalism
considered
essential
for
a
successful
reporter
or
editor.”
Saltzman,
“Sob
Sisters,”
p.
3.

52

Lions
for
Lambs,
Time
code:
1:12:53

53

Ibid.
Time
code:
1:16:56.

54

Ibid.
Time
code:
01:16:26

55

“Furthermore,
many
women
journalists
were
employed
to
provide
a
feminine
touch,
and
are
“still

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

42

concentrated
in
sectors
considered
to
be
‘soft
news.’”
Meeks,
“He
Wrote,
She
Wrote,”
p.
62.

56

“Journalist
Zoe
Heller
noted,
“Historically,
the
role
of
the
female
newspaper
writer
has
been
to
leaven
the

serious
(male)
stuff
.
.
.
[with]
news
from
the
realm
of
the
domestic,
the
emotional,
the
personal.”
Thus,
female

journalists
have
been
charged
with
a
distinctly
more
feminine
coverage
domain.”
Ibid,
p.
61.

57

“When
I
first
went
into
radio,
it
was
pretty
much
assumed
that
only
men
sounded
authoritative
on
the
radio.

Women
didn’t
have
credible
voices
because
they
sounded
like
girls.
So
I’m
sure
that
the
reason
I
got
a
job
in

network
radio
in
New
York
as
the
only
woman
on
in
prime
time
was
because
I
sounded
like
a
guy.”

Excerpt
from
interview
with
Judy
Muller,
recorded
December
12,
2013.

58

Meeks,
“He
Wrote,
She
Wrote,”
62.

59

Ibid,
p.

60.

60

The
Senator
Was
Indiscreet.
10:02.

61

Society
of
Professional
Journalists
Code
of
Ethics.
Accessed
April
2,
2013.
http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

62

The
Ides
of
March
(2011).
Time
code:
00:09:23.

63

Excerpt
from
interview
with
Robin
Abcarian,
recorded
October
30,
2013.

64

Saltzman,
Sob
Sisters,
3.

65

Ibid,
p.5.
“The
contemporary
newswoman,
while
regularly
cast
as
a
tough,
talented
pro,
often
bears
the
burden

of
being
depicted
as
an
emotionally
empty
Super
Bitch
or
Super
Whore,”
said
journalist
historian
Loren

Ghiglione.

66

Holloway
calls
up
Nick
Naylor,
her
article
subject
from
big
tobacco,
asking
him
his
opinion
of
the
article.
He

says
certain
details
were
“off
the
record,”
and
she
says,
“You
never
said
off
the
record.”
He
retorts
that
he

thought
whatever
was
said
while
he
was
“inside
her”
was
privileged.
She
responds:

“I’m
just
a
reporter
and

you’re
just
a
lobbyist.”
Thank
you
for
Smoking,
time
code:
01:06:30

67

Ibid,
time
code:
1:26:08

68

Excerpt
from
interview
with
Judy
Muller,
recorded
December
12,
2013.

69

Joe
Saltzman,
Frank
Capra:
The
Image
of
the
Journalist
in
American
Film,
2002,
p.
82.

70

Ida
asks,
“Come
on,
Stephen
-‐
aren’t
we
friends
anymore?”
After
having
endured
all
of
the
corruption
and
lack

of
integrity
in
the
campaign
and
come
out
on
top,
responds:
“You’re
my
best
friend,
Ida.”
The
Ides
of
March.

1:32:08

71

Good,
Girl
Reporter,
p.
41.

72

Lions
for
Lambs,
time
code:
01:16:56.

73

Edwards,
Anne.
A
Remarkable
Woman:
Katharine
Hepburn.
New
York,
NY.
St.
Martin’s
Griffin
-‐
Macmillan,

2000.
Pg.
92.

74

Ibid,
92.

75

Ibid,
204.

Two-‐Faced/Heather
Navarro

43

76

Herman,
Hacks,
p.
49.

77

77

Ibid,
51.

Two
Faced/Heather
Navarro

44

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Films

The
Ides
of
March.
Directed
by
George
Clooney.
USA:
Columbia
Pictures,
2011.

State
of
Play.
Directed
by
Kevin
MacDonald.
USA:
Universal
Pictures,
2009.

Nothing
But
the
Truth.
Directed
by
Rod
Lurie.

USA:
Yari
Film
Group,
2008.

Lions
for
Lambs.
Directed
by
Robert
Redford.
USA:
Metro-‐Goldwyn-‐Mayer,
2007.

Thank
You
For
Smoking.
Directed
by
Jason
Reitman.
USA:
Fox
Searchlight
Pictures,

2005.

Madison
Avenue.
Directed
by
H.
Bruce
Humberstone.
USA:
Twentieth
Century
Fox,

1962.

Washington
Story.
Directed
by
Robert
Pirosh

USA:
Metro-‐Goldwyn-‐Mayer
Corp,

1952.

The
Senator
was
Indiscreet.
Directed
by
George
S.
Kaufman.
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47

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Rabinowitz,
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(Accessed

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2013).

INTERVIEWS

Mehta,
Seema.
Interview
by
Heather
Navarro.
Los
Angeles
Times
building
in

Downtown
Los
Angeles,
California.
September
26,
2013.

Sewell,
Abigail.
Interview
by
Heather
Navarro.
Los
Angeles
Times
building
in

Downtown
Los
Angeles,
California.
October
17,
2013.

Abcarian,
Robin.
Interview
by
Heather
Navarro.
Abcarian
residence
in
Venice
Beach,

California.
October
30,
2013.

Muller,
Judy.
Interview
by
Heather
Navarro.
Annenberg
School
of
Journalism
at
the

University
of
Southern
California
in
Los
Angeles,
California.
December
12,
2013.

APPENDIX
A:
BACKGROUND
ON
REAL-‐LIFE
FEMALE
POLITICAL
JOURNALISTS

Judy
Muller

Judy’s
career
started
at
CBS
Radio
in
the
1980s
after
she
already
had
an

accomplished
career
as
an
educator.
For
CBS,
she
covered
the
1988
political

conventions
and
the
George
H.
W.
Bush
presidency.
She
landed
a
spot
as
a

correspondent
for
ABC
News
and
NPR’s
Morning
Edition.
She
won
Emmy
Awards,

and
in
2003
became
a
professor
of
journalism
at
University
of
Southern
California.

Robin
Abcarian

Robin
earned
her
master’s
degree
in
journalism
from
Boston
University.
She
took
an

unpaid
internship
with
UPI,
but
vowed
to
never
make
coffee
–
she
wanted
to
do
real

journalism.
She
has
covered
the
2004
and
2008
election
campaigns.
She
worked
on

the
trail,
rubbing
knees
with
Vice
President
Joe
Biden
in
his
tiny
plane
in
2008.

Now
with
30
plus
years
of
experience
under
belt,
Abcarian
covers
everything
from

politics
to
paparazzi
culture
and
more.
She
is
currently
a
columnist
with
the
Los

Angeles
Times.

Two
Faced/Heather
Navarro

48

Seema
Mehta

Seema
started
off
her
career
as
an
intern
for
the
Washington
Post.
She
is
currently

serving
as
a
political
reporter
for
the
Los
Angeles
Times.
For
Marie
Claire’s

campaign
special
on
female
political
reporters
during
the
2012
election
year

entitled
Girls
on
the
Bus,
Seema
was
featured
as
one
of
the
reporters.
She
has
15
plus

years
of
experience.

Abby
Sewell

Abby
has
7
plus
years
of
experience
reporting.
She
has
covered
crime,
politics,
and

education.
She
currently
reports
for
the
Los
Angeles
Times,
and
was
part
of
the

Pulitzer-‐prize
winning
team
that
covered
the
Bell
City
Council
corruption
scandal.

APPENDIX
B:
FILM
SUMMARIES

The
Ides
of
March
(2011)

A
young
campaign
manager
(Ryan
Gosling)
on
his
way
up
holds
an
idealistic
view

when
it
comes
to
the
candidate
he
supports
(George
Clooney).

A
hardened
veteran

reporter
(Marisa
Tomei)
discusses
with
him
in
the
opening
scene
of
the
movie
how

he
possibly
could
be
so
naïve
about
the
political
process.
Throughout
the
film,

Gosling
learns
that
Tomei
is
correct
—
politicians
are
often
pandering
or
corrupt.
He

also
learns
that
Tomei,
while
a
friendly
reporter
in
the
beginning
of
the
film,
is
not

his
friend,
and
will
be
just
as
cutthroat
as
the
male
politicians
to
get
her
story.

State
of
Play
(2009)

A
seasoned
writer
for
the
Washington
Globe
shows
a
young
female
blogger
the
ropes

and
“nuts
and
bolts”
of
real
journalism
while
stumbling
into
two
events
that
are

seemingly
unconnected
at
first.
The
two
work
in
tandem
to
prove
that
the
crimes

are
connected,
and
that
dirty
politics
is
behind
it
all.

Thank
You
for
Smoking
(2005)

A
big
tobacco
public
relations
coordinator
(Aaron
Eckhart)
spins
facts
in
order
to

help
his
company
profit,
but
is
at
odds
with
doing
his
job
and
raising
his
son.
He
has

an
affair
with
a
newspaper
reporter
(Katie
Holmes),
contributing
to
the
complicated

situation.

Nothing
but
the
Truth
(2008)

A
female
Washington
reporter
(Kate
Beckinsale)
refuses
to
reveal
her
source
in
a

“Watergate–like”
scandal,
and
goes
to
court
to
testify.
She
faces
jail
time
for
not

revealing
her
source,
who
is
assumed
to
be
a
whistleblower
in
the
CIA.

Washington
Story
(1952)

A
young
female
Washington
reporter
(Patricia
Neal)
is
in
search
of
a
tabloid-‐worthy

story.
She
tries
to
earn
her
stripes,
but
falls
for
congressman
(Van
Johnson),

confused
about
whether
to
cover
the
story
or
follow
her
heart.

Two
Faced/Heather
Navarro

49

Woman
of
the
Year
(1942)

Two
journalists
navigate
marital
issues
while
working
for
the
same
newspaper.
The

female
journalist
(Katharine
Hepburn)
is
the
daughter
of
a
diplomat
and
inclined
to

political
stories.
He
is
an
“everyman”
sportswriter
(Spencer
Tracy).

The
Senator
Was
Indiscreet
(1947)

A
dopey
senator
is
running
for
the
presidency
while
blackmailing
the
Democratic

Party
with
a
tell-‐all
diary
he
discovered.
A
young
female
reporter
(Ella
Raines)
tries

to
get
her
hands
on
the
book
to
expose
the
corruption.

Madison
Avenue
(1962)

Washington
reporter
(Jeanne
Crain)
attempts
to
expose
her
off-‐and-‐on
lover
after

he
betrays
her.
He
is
an
advertising
account
executive
working
for
a
dairy
company,

and
she
plans
to
expose
his
shifty
practices.
She
is
seconds
away
from
leaving
him

for
good
when
he
proposes
and
she
accepts.

Lions
for
Lambs
(2007)

Veteran
political
TV
reporter
Janine
Roth
(Meryl
Streep)
conducts
a
one-‐on-‐one

interview
with
Republican
Senator
Jasper
Irving
about
a
new
plan
of
action
he’s

taking
in
Afghanistan.
The
senator
wants
Roth
to
get
the
public
on
his
side
by

providing
favorable
coverage
on
the
new
plan,
but
Roth
has
misgivings.
After
the

interviews,
Roth
argues
with
her
editor
about
broadcasting
the
story
saying
it

doesn’t
feel
right.
Her
editor
tells
her
he’s
not
paying
her
to
investigate
her
feelings.

Roth
apparently
quits
and
the
network
runs
the
story
as
an
exclusive.

Asset Metadata

Creator Navarro, Heather Leeann (author)

Core Title Two-faced: the image of the female political journalist in American film

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Journalism

Publication Date 04/22/2014

Defense Date 04/22/2014

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Abby Sewell,Alice Kingsley,American film,American media,broadcast journalism,Della Frye,Female,female journalist,female journalists in film,female reporter,film,Frank Capra,gender,gender gap,gender relations,girl journalist,girl reporter,Heather Holloway,Howard Good,Ida Horowicz,IJPC,image of the female journalist,image of the journalist,Janine Roth,Joe Saltzman,journalism,journalism ethics,Judy Muller,Katharine Hepburn,Lions for lambs,Madison Avenue,movies,Nothing but the truth,oai:digitallibrary.usc.edu:usctheses,OAI-PMH Harvest,Peggy Shannon,politics,Poppy McNaughton,Rachel Armstrong,Robin Abcarian,Seema Mehta,Sex,sob sister,sob sisters,spinster,State of play,Tess Harding,Thank you for smoking,The ides of March,The senator was indiscreet,Washington story,woman journalist,Woman of the year,women in film,women in journalism,women in movies

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Advisor Saltzman, Joseph (committee chair), Hollihan, Thomas (committee member), Leonard, John (committee member)

Creator Email heathelp@usc.edu,heatherlnavarro@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-382795

Unique identifier UC11296037

Identifier etd-NavarroHea-2395.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-382795 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-NavarroHea-2395-1.pdf

Dmrecord 382795

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Navarro, Heather Leeann

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Abstract (if available)

Abstract While the image of the female journalist in popular culture has been explored, female journalists specifically in the political sphere have not. This body of work aims to define the traits, quirks, and ethics of the female political journalist in American film. The existing documentation shows that the female journalist certainly starts out tough, even abrasive, smart, resilient, and proud to be called a “newspaperman.” Inevitably, though, by the end of the film she melts like butter—all too willing to give up the excitement of a fulfilling career to be a housewife—to bring slippers and a sandwich to a man. This work will show how similar and how different this image is to the one digging around in the political world. This work aims to define the female political journalist in American film from the 1940s to current day. ❧ The image of the female political journalist in film is one of someone who imparts knowledge to the general public while embodying stereotypes. If the public believes in the image of the female political journalist based on films alone, the female political journalist is a walking cliché—a smart but lonely spinster. A harpy. An intelligent woman who encompasses masculine traits because to be smart is to be in power—and to be in power is masculine. ❧ A male political journalist is often seen as intelligent, and is respected, according to He Wrote, She Wrote: Journalist Gender, Political Office, and Campaign News. In the films explored, the image of the male political journalist is often portrayed as intelligent and respected, falling in line with this description. If the average person were to view only these images, he or she would believe that regardless of how intelligent and strong a female political journalist is, she will ultimately yield to a stronger and smarter man.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses