14 Fantastic Films Featuring a News Reporter

Whenever there's a crime scene, there's a journalist ready to uncover the story and present it to the public. What's your favorite film with a reporter? These are some the internet say make the top 14.

1. Zodiac (2007)

The Zodiac Killer was famous in part for interacting with dumbfounded reporters, and 2007's Zodiac Killer served up a window into what that sort of experience must have been like. 

2. Anchorman (2004)

Anchorman follows the exploits of TV journalists trying to cope with change and keep their competition at bay. Equal parts absurdist humor and sharp satire, this one is a highlight of the early to mid 2000s. 

3. Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

In Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is at the center of a major conspiracy, and famed reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is onto him. With her tenacity and journalistic instincts, she tries to get to the bottom of a plot against Superman before it's too late. 

4. Blood Diamond (2006)

In 2006's Blood Diamond, Jennifer Connelly plays an American journalist working on a story about the illegal drug trade in Sierra Leone. She gets a lead when she discovers an ambitious mercenary with plans to escape the local war zone.

5. Scream (1996-2023)

You can't make a list of the best reporters in the film without Courteney Cox's delightful, complicated Gale Weathers. Gale escapes every confine thrust upon female horror characters. She comes face to face with terror, receives death threats, and doesn't permit anyone or any man to get in the way of her getting the scoop on a story. Multiple people punch her in the face on duty and threaten her intelligence to save and solve numerous criminal cases throughout the series.

6. Nightcrawler (2014)

This film critiques modern media and society in a way not quite explored before. Besides being the inspiration for the best ten-minute song, Jake Gyllenhaal's acting skills place him at the tip of talented actors in the 21st century. The Los Angelos star undertakes a criminal role in Nightcrawler as a petty thief and finds his way into a news channel as a cameraman. He starts exploring LA at night to capture footage of the violent crime, and when he learns he can earn big bucks from this career, his methods grow increasingly bold — and unethical. 

7. Not Okay (2022)

Quinn Shepard's feature film, Not Okay, stars Zoe Deutch and Dylan O'Brien as entertainment journalists. Deutch's character lies about being in the presence of a Parisian tragedy, leading her to befriend a school shooting survivor. Soon, Deutch's character digs herself into becoming a famous poster child of resilience and willpower until it all crumbles.

8. Shattered Glass (2003)

The first rule of journalism is to do no harm. In Shattered Glass, a news reporter turns in fake stories that stroke his ego and credibility. It's not his editor who speculates the legitimacy of his work, but rather a fellow journalist. The film comments on unethical journalism.

9. Rec (2007)

Chasing stories isn't always safe. In Rec, a cameraman and journalist enter a virus-ridden apartment building to get the real scoop on what's happening. What they find is the building poses a sinister risk for everyone inside.

10. Fort Apache Napoli (2009)

Speaking of journalists risking safety, this film presents the biographical story of Giancarlo Siani, a Neopolitan journalist determined to uncover the bridge between crime and politicians surrounding his city. He ignores threats and warnings to get to the bottom of the story, ending in his death.

11. Pelican Brief (1993)

This film is for true-crime fans and theorists. Pelican Brief revolves around a law student whose legal brief causes several murders within the supreme court and her friends. She escapes the location of the killings and meets a journalist who assists her in solving the mystery.

12. The Killing Fields (1984)

Based on a true story, The Killing Fields surrounds Sydney Schanberg, a reporter for the New York Times tasked with the assignment to relay stories about the Cambodian Civil War. She travels to Cambodia and meets a translator and photojournalist assigned to cover the war. Sydney leaves, but the photojournalist remains against warnings to complete the job.

13. The Post (2017)

Is there anything Meryl Streep can't do? In The Post, The Washington Post hires Katharine Graham Streep as the first female publisher in that kind of work. The Washington Post and the New York Times compete to uncover riveting coverage of undisclosed governmental information.

14. Spotlight (2015)

Spotlight won the Academy Award for best picture in 2016. The film's premise focuses on a team of investigative journalists assigned to deep dive into the accusations against an allegedly abusive Catholic Priest. With a cast comprised of Mark Ruffalo, Micheal Keaton, and Rachel McAdams, the film doesn't disappoint.

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