Spring 2024 gave us two gems with unexpected similarities in the vast mine of blockbusters released this year: Alex Garland’s “Civil War” and the Cairnes Brothers’ “Late Night with the Devil.”
On the outside, these films leave us with two starkly different jewels that clash in colors and cuts. The former is a rich action film set during a divided and collapsing United States. The latter is a dark, supernatural horror with elements of the “found footage” style (a genre of film where the scenes are presented as if the characters themselves documented them). But on the inside, these cinematic experiences twinkle and shine like diamonds forged from the same lump of coal. Both movies discuss how exploiting spectacle can be dangerous and devoid of empathy, furthering the discussion on the role of journalism in society.
“Civil War” follows four photojournalists traveling to Washington, D.C. to capture a career-changing image. Lee Smith (played by Kirsten Dunst), an experienced visual storyteller, reluctantly takes on a mentor role for Jessie, a younger journalist (played by Cailee Spaeny). Having experienced an onslaught of traumatic conflicts, Smith grew cold and learned to keep her emotions separated from her work. Although Jessie admired Smith’s portfolio, she wasn’t accustomed to witnessing the graphic, violent events that she was subjected to cover. However, as the film progresses, Jessie picks up on Smith’s behavior. For Jessie, the recognition she’d receive for capturing a moment in history was more important than the actual implications of the events surrounding her. No matter the risks, she was determined to complete her story.
Despite its politically charged title, “Civil War” is surprisingly neutral in its discussion of world issues. This neutrality, coupled with Jessie and Smith’s actions, poses questions about the ethics of journalism and the role that spectacle plays in the respective field of work. How do journalists approach their stories with empathy, rather than chasing spectacle? Is it more important to be objective or to pick a side?
On the other hand, “Late Night with the Devil” focuses on Jack Delroy (played by David Dastmalchian), a late-night talk show host who is scavenging for views, competing with another show that is sweeping the ratings. On Halloween night, Delory decides to take his show to the next level by inviting a possessed 13-year-old girl, Lily (played by Ingrid Torelli), for an interview. Despite warnings from the girl’s parapsychologist (played by Laura Gordon), Delroy wishes to bring Lily’s demon to the surface. But as things get out of control and evil is unleashed into his audience, he learns that the ratings may not have been worth it. Just like “Civil War,” “Late Night with the Devil” sparks questions about the dangers of spectacle. How far is too far when creating content? What are the ramifications of sensationalized media?
In a world where news seems to be increasingly sensationalized, journalists and content creators are often mistrusted. The conversations sparked by “Civil War” and “Late Night with the Devil” make way for for actual journalists to provide a nuanced perspective on the integrity of their work. It is easy for these movies to present the media as a conglomerate of attention-seeking creators, but for the majority of the people who actually work in this industry, that is not a reality.
Ciara Cummings, an investigative reporter with Atlanta News First, deals with sensitive topics, such as the mishandling of child welfare, daily. Unlike the characters in “Civil War,” Cummings handles her work with care, rather than doing it for recognition.
“You have to lead with purpose,” Cummings said. “What is the goal of this story? Is it really to create some kind of change? If that truly is the purpose of the story, you have to keep that in the forefront of your mind the entire time you are doing the project. I believe that births empathy. If you’re not actually covering the people, the work is less impactful.”
Cummings understands the power that journalists have and how some journalists can get obsessed with accumulating accolades. “The social media of it all or the praise of it all — those are all distractions. Naturally, those distractions will come… but [you have to keep] the people, the purpose, at the center of the story you do. That requires you being honest with yourself day in and day out.”
As for the objectivity debate in “Civil War,” Ciara Cummings has a surprising perspective: “I do not believe in objectivity.”
Cummings said. “Objectivity cannot exist because we are humans, we have lived lives, and we are from different cultures, factions, and subsets of the world. If you go through the world, your experience is going to inform your perspective.”
She recognizes that it is inevitable to have feelings toward strong subjects such as police brutality, protests, and racism. “I can recognize those feelings but still use all the tools in my toolbox to have objective methods. So even though I might feel like this officer did some wrongdoing, what I must do is consider all sides of the story. I can still have that feeling, but the objective methods would call me to still interview the person that I believe has done some wrongdoing.”
Similar sentiments are shared by journalists who work behind the scenes as well. Dianna Hill is a senior producer for the morning show CNN News Central, where she oversees the stories put in production, and is also a VOX ATL Board Member. She is a last line of defense in deciding whether or not to air sensitive content. From international war to domestic shootings, Hill and her team employ a variety of strategies to ensure their production is tactful.
“Maybe we blur faces or certain imagery so that it’s not quite as jarring,” Hill said. “But that’s also putting a filter on something. There’s never a 100% right or wrong answer.”
She continued, “Sometimes the questions we ask ourselves are, if you were that person’s family… what would your feelings be about it? I wish people could see the debates we have inside a newsroom or the conversations we have about making sure that articles are fair and accurate and meet our standard and are empathetic to people.”
In “Late Night with the Devil,” the main talk show host only cared about ratings. While this mindset may exist in the heads of some content creators, ratings are not always the main factor in major media outlets. Media organizations in the United States differ from international platforms because networks overseas are more state-funded. In 2022, CNN laid off hundreds of staffers. To add on, the number of “news deserts,” areas in the United States where there is minimal access to information, continues to rise. In return, this means networks in the United States, like CNN, inevitably have to rely on ratings to understand what their viewers want to see.
“I wouldn’t say [ratings] make our decisions,” Hill explained, “but they sometimes inform the ways we cover or where we place them in the show.”
Hill added, “Every single person comes into that newsroom because they’re interested in telling the truth. They’re interested in sharing stories from all over the world and all different perspectives. People need to remember that there are real people behind each of these stories. 99% of the time, everybody is coming into that newsroom with good intentions and having difficult conversations with our coworkers and making sure that we’re representing the truth and as much objectivity as we can.”
“We’re not doing it callously,” she continued. “We’re not doing it with an agenda. There are so many people. On my show alone, there’s fifty different people that are put together. It’s almost impossible to push an agenda without somebody on that team catching it or pushing back against it.”
As “Civil War” and “Late Night with the Devil” continue to further the discussion regarding the integrity of journalism and mass media, keep this in mind: journalists are just as human as the people they cover in their stories.
