After watching clips from both State of Play and the Pulitzer prize documentary about Tom Kelly there are several main points of difference I identified between journalism as portrayed in fiction and as occurs in reality.
In State of Play the situation and unfolding story is intensely intriguing and mysterious. The events that take place are situations that are rather graphic in nature and significant in their implications however these attributes become muted by the fiction of the story.
Unlike State of Play the documentary about Pulitzer prize winning photographer Tom Kelly does convey the true sense of grotesque inhumanity and moral degradation.
In State of Play the deaths of two men by shooting and a women by collision with a metro rail liner are treated with a matter of fact and almost caddy attitude by many involved excluding the romantically involved senator. The emotions displayed by the senator for the death of his mistress do not convey a true sense of sadness as it is fiction.
In the Pulitzer prize documentary the emotional effect of the situation could be felt through all involved and took on more humanity. To see the faces of people in the pictures during their moments of intense shock and sorrow bring to life the gravity of life and death and how it should be portrayed and handled.
The way in which Tom Kelly approached the situation was with an ere of humanity. He choose not to photograph the little girl who had been cut up by her father and in not doing so he choose to respect the life of the girl and the importance of her humanity.
This however is not shown in State of Play or in fictional depictions of journalism. They opt to show all the excitement and intrigue yet without the real world emotional of physical consequences.
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