Cinematographic representations of investigative journalism in “All The President’s Men” (1976) and “Spotlight” (2015)

Researchers Fernanda Lima Lopes, Maurício da Silva Duarte (UFRJ) and Itala Maduell Vieira (UERJ) evaluate the construction of meaning of investigative journalists in movies, with the goal of understanding such representations and the ways in which they interact with the process of journalistic identity building. Two Hollywood feature films based on true stories - "All The President’s Men” (1976) and “Spotlight” (2015) - are analyzed, as they mobilize lasting stereotypes (credibility, neutrality, heroism) of investigative journalism and recognize their power in the social space. Moreover, these narratives present themselves as “neutral” and truthful versions of the facts they address, blurring the process of selection and editing – common to journalism and cinema – and, in the case of the 2015 movie, erasing the context of journalism in the 21st Century. Theoretical-methodological framework is based on the analysis of textually oriented discourse (Fairclough, 2001) and on the semiology of social discourses(Pinto, 2002). Link for full text: https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/ojs/index.php/revistafamecos/article/view/26904/15699