Democracy's Guardians: Hollywood's Portrait of Reporters, 1930–1945

Abstract

Reporters in films of the early 1930s were often portrayed as drunks or as less than glamorous, as evidenced by the 1930 film “The Front Page.” By the end of the decade, pressure from the American Newspaper Publishers Association, American Society of Newspaper Editors, and other professional organizations, plus film-makers' need for good press, caused a change in the way reporters appeared, as evidenced by “His Girl Friday,” the 1940 remake of “The Front Page.” World War II films often portrayed reporters as searchers for truth in a free democratic system, a striking contrast to fascist control of information abroad. This study is based on the recently opened files of the Production Code Administration plus the viewing of 35 key films of the period.