NEWS WITHOUT A NEWSROOM takes us through the evolution of American journalism. Directed by Oana Martisca, the documentary is as much a love letter to the profession as it is a warning about the technological, political, and cultural changes that continue to challenge and provoke journalism to redefine itself, whilst reaffirming its purpose and value in the 21st century.
The film is structured in three sections – A Golden Age, Crisis, and Democracy – each exploring a chapter in journalism’s history. Martisca stitches together archival footage and contemporary discourse with careful skill, using historical moments as vessels to explore wider questions about journalism’s purpose. We move seamlessly from the Muckraking era to the rise of the digital age, and from Donald Trump’s post-truth rhetoric to the influence of A.I. This ambitious scope allows the film to contextualise journalism’s role in society. The pacing, though occasionally fast and covering a broad range of ideas, reflects an information-saturated world, which the film successfully seeks to explore.
“…if the profession has any chance of surviving, journalists, local communities, and their enthusiasm are the driving force behind its longevity. This idea is reflected in the film’s most memorable moments taking the form of personal vignettes.”
At its heart, the documentary tells the story of how journalism is in jeopardy. Martisca grounds the narrative in the idea that, if the profession has any chance of surviving, journalists, local communities, and their enthusiasm are the driving force behind its longevity. This idea is reflected in the film’s most memorable moments taking the form of personal vignettes. One of the first scenes features a former Miami Herald journalist revisiting the empty space where the newspaper’s headquarters once stood, signifying not only the loss of a newsroom but also of a community and of appreciation for local news.
However, the film perhaps presents an idealistic, less balanced version of how journalism is perceived in society, and its definition of ‘journalism’ is explored as a very broad concept. By extension, the film also presents a more optimistic answer to journalism’s problems. Local news outlets may have indeed seen a decline in funding, but this will be inseparable from a decline in their popularity with readers. The answer to journalism’s challenges is perhaps more complex than, as the film suggests, simply reengaging audiences or finding dedicated journalists who want to write the stories. Maybe a more critical assessment of journalism, including ideas about economic pressures and moral ambiguities in the profession, would have rounded out this vision, alongside the excellent storytelling from the journalist’s perspective.
“The answer to journalism’s challenges is perhaps more complex than, as the film suggests, simply reengaging audiences or finding dedicated journalists who want to write the stories. Maybe a more critical assessment of journalism […] would have rounded out this vision”
Refocusing our attention on national news, journalism today has bigger fish to fry: writers must explicitly dedicate themselves to finding truth as defined by trust, integrity, and credibility. Drawing parallels with Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the film illustrates how ‘their truth versus my truth’ dominates contemporary discourse, with audiences often passively absorbing broadcast news. Donald Trump’s use of language is presented as an example of truth being weaponised, highlighting the importance of journalistic practice in contextualising events or quotes.
Whilst the documentary is American-centric, and at times touches on familiar themes – “fake news”, a post-truth society, and an absence of control over misinformation – it does so with intelligence, coherence, and insight. The narrative shows that journalism, much like the documentary itself, should not merely entertain but strive to say something about the world: to observe, to scrutinise, and to help us understand things about others and ourselves.
For audiences interested in the effect of our shifting media landscape on democracy, the weaving of archival footage and personal stories with narrative momentum makes NEWS WITHOUT A NEWSROOM thoughtful, relevant, and well-timed.