Film Analysis Essay on All the President's Men: Encouraging Ethical Behavior Through Journalism

Introduction

The movie "All the President's Men" is an educative action movie that illustrates the role of journalism in encouraging ethical behavior among the people. The film depicts the role that journalists and society play in condemning the evil acts of leaders or those in power while at the same time encouraging or recognizing the good works of the same people. The film begins with the security officer at Watergate finds the door is unlocked and later realizes that five men broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The story is then taken up by junior journalist Bob Woodward who considered it as a minor incident. Woodward quickly realizes that the case is more complicated and the executive editor Ben Bradlee includes the help of Carl Bernstein to work on the matter. Through relentless research, the team can identify dirty tricks and activities that seem to include almost all the politicians in Washington. The film can be classified as an understandable film that is interesting and captivating to watch.

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In the movie, the central role of journalists is identifying and condemning the wrong social activities that exist in society. This condemnation can only take place through identifying information in regards to social evils as well as displaying this information to the public. In the film, the only way that Woodward and Bernstein can inform the people about the five burglars is through obtaining information on the five burglars through extensive investigations before they can present it to society. Their investigation leads them to uncover secrets that they then presented to the public. For instance, through their research, they were able to discover that money in terms public funds had been embezzled to the Head of Staff at the white house in an attempt to disrupt the campaign of the presidential aspirant for the Democrat party. If the media does its job and provides information to the society, then it becomes the duty of the community to call for change. Therefore, an educated society fits perfectly into activism as they can come forward with vital information that will help to spur on change. For instance, the anonymous character "Deep Throat" volunteers critical information regarding the evil activities at the white house which allows the journalists to uncover the truth about embezzlement of funds. Thus, in activism, an educated society may contribute by calling for change as well as provide information that will help in transforming the negative publicity of the people involved.

To fully become a journalist who is capable of providing information to the public, an individual has to have the necessary skills and knowledge which they can use to investigate, organize, and present the information. That is where the aspect of college is applied. The college provides many elements that help an individual to fit into society. College allows individuals to develop labor market skills and competencies that are essential in their pursuit of employment. For instance, through his higher education and experience level, Bernstein can help Woodward gather the information that revolves around the five burglars. Similarly, both journalists can present the information to the public in such a way that other campaigners who are seeking elective positions become afraid of engaging in fraudulent activities and prefer to keep their public image clean. Though some forms of activism are admirable, the government may view them as terrorism, especially if the government is on the wrong end of the investigations. Moreover, the government may also identify activists as terrorists if they use illegal methods to present the information to the public.

Works Cited

All the President's Men. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, Perf. Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden. 1976. Warner Bros., 1976.