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LMU Library Staff Picks

We know that our Lions are always on the hunt for great resources, so we have created a list of e-books and streaming films to keep you informed.

Journalism - Books

Journalism on Film

Embedded live - "There were two wars going on in Iraq, one was fought with armies of soldiers, bombs and a fearsome military force. The other was fought alongside it with cameras, satellites, armies of journalists and propaganda techniques. One war was rationalized as an effort to find and remove WMDs, Weapons of Mass Destruction; the other was carried out by even more powerful WMDs, Weapons of Mass Deception".
Circulation Desk, DVD1117. 

 

 

Page One: Inside the New York Times -This documentary chronicles the transformation of The New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk, as the Internet redefines the media industry by surpassing print as the main source of news. At the heart of the film is the burning question on the minds of everyone who cares about a rigorous American press, Times lover or not: what will happen if the fast-moving future of media leaves behind the fact-based, original reporting that helps to define our society? This up-close look at factors and actors that produce the "daily miracle" of a great news organization is a nuanced portrait of journalists continuing to produce extraordinary work under increasingly difficult circumstances.
Circulation Desk,  DVD6230 and online streaming video

Inventing LA : the Chandlers and their Times - The story of the Chandler family's influence over Los Angeles through their publication, the Los Angeles Times, and its entwinement with politics, civic ideals, and personal agendas.
Circulation Desk, DVD3712.

Shattered Glass - Stephen Glass is a staff writer for the well respected current events and policy magazine The new republic. He was also a freelance writer featured in Rolling stone, Harper's bazaar and George. By the mid-1990's, Glass' articles had turned him into one of the most sought-after young journalists in Washington. That is until a bizarre chain of events suddenly stopped his career right in its tracks.
Circulation Desk, DVD0698.
Also in streaming video.

 

All the President's Men -True story of the Watergate break-in that led to the political scandal of the decade, and of the dogged journalists who stayed with the story. Circulation Desk, DVD1523  Also available in streaming video
 

Spotlight - The riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world's oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper's tenacious 'Spotlight' team of reporters delve into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston's religious, legal, and government establishment. Circulation Desk, DVD7594. 

Absence of Malice - A businessman becomes the subject of a criminal investigation when a story about him is purposely "leaked" to an investigative reporter. Circulation Desk, DVD1576  and available in streaming video

The New York Times Has Lost its Way

What's happening at the New York Times? Founded in 1851, the newspaper has long been one of the most respected sources of news in the United States. But the "paper of record" has recently come under fire, with critics arguing it has sacrificed journalistic and intellectual balance in favor of correcting historic inequalities. In the process, they contend, this effort has stifled dissent and promoted social justice above all else. Defenders of the newspaper dispute these charges. The Times has indeed evolved, they argue, but that evolution has proven a strength in such tumultuous and divisive times. By casting a critically important lens on historically disenfranchised groups and maintaining its core commitment to high editorial standards and a wide breadth of reporting, they contend, the Times remains the nation's premier newspaper. But is it? Has the New York Times lost its way?

Endangered
An official selection of the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, Endangered chronicles a year in the life of four journalists living and working in democratic countries where freedom of the press has historically been considered a “given.” Yet, as online misinformation proliferates and world leaders brazenly denigrate the press, distrust of traditional media is on the rise, and journalists are increasingly facing situations more typically encountered in war zones or autocratic states. HBO - 2020

 

Citizen Hearst
After taking control of the San Francisco Examiner in 1887, William Randolph Hearst was eager to try his luck in New York. Hearst bought the failing Journal in 1895 and turned it into a sensation. He earned the loyalty of the city’s population of newly arrived immigrants by railing against monopolistic businesses and championing the working class, using the medium to increase his influence.

 

On the Record
A film by Oscar nominees Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, and first reported by The New York Times, On the Record presents the haunting story of former A&R executive Drew Dixon, whose career and personal life were upended by the alleged abuse she faced from her high-profile male bosses. The documentary follows Dixon as she grapples with her decision to become one of the first women of color, in the wake of #MeToo, to come forward to publicly accuse hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct. The film chronicles Dixon's story, as well as those of fellow Simmons accusers Sil Lai Abrams and Sheri Sher, delving into the ways black women's voices are too often silenced and ignored.