Page One: Inside the New York Times

Around 2010 the journalism business was collapsing: advertising revenue had fallen, papers had closed, newsrooms had shrunk. This documentary was filmed for a year on the media desk of the New York Times. At its focus is the reporter David Carr; a former addict, blunt, plain-spoken, and the person who talks most clearly about the industry's future. Andrew Rossi's film follows the paper's own crisis alongside the news of the same period: the WikiLeaks documents, the end of the Iraq war, and the rise of news websites. Its most cited passage is a scene at a digital media panel, where Carr shows concretely who produces the news. The film defends the paper but also names the institution's own failures: its pre-war reporting and its fabrication scandals are both discussed. Who it's for: Viewers of journalism documentary, media economics, and narratives of institutional crisis. Who it's not for: The narrative proceeds from one side's view and gives too little room to competitors. The subject is also tied to its moment and some arguments have dated.