Monday, February 06, 2006

Absence of Malice...a laundry list

This movie definitely had problems. A few I noticed were...

1. Elliot leaving the file about the investigation of Gallagher on his desk so a reporter could read it.
2. Megan reading Gallagher's file and then printing a story with no real attempt to contact Gallagher.
3. Megan trying to secretly record Gallagher talking to her but only getting caught.
4. Megan becomes romantically involved with Gallagher, a source in a continuing story.
5. Printing Gallagher's alleby of going with Teresa to get her abortion. Even if Teresa asked Megan not to name her or tell about her abortion. It results in Teresa's suicide.
6. Megan telling Gallagher that she got her information from Elliot Rosen.
7. Printing a story about Gallagher paying off the District Attorney, Quinn, when it could cost her source his job and he specifically told her as a friend and not a reporter.

I really believe the biggest issues were started with Megan snooping in the investigation file and printing the story with no attempt to contact Gallagher. She then would have had no contact with Gallagher and not possibly become romantically involved with him. She would not have become interested in Gallagher and therefore print Teresa's abortion and then her suicide would not have resulted. Then she would have not found out about the possible bribary of Quinn by Gallagher. It was just one series of events that could have been stopped with Megan not snooping. But that is just one opinion. Who knows if Megan still could have become romantically involved with Gallagher even if she just looked in the file and not print the story.

Just a side note... the biggest problem for me about this movie was when Megan's editor said that a journalist can print the truth or not hurt people but they can't do both. That just got me thinking.

1 comment:

Nancy Williams said...

Dairy Angel said:

"the biggest problem for me about this movie was when Megan's editor said that a journalist can print the truth or not hurt people but they can't do both. That just got me thinking."

Hooray! That's a great idea to chew on, especially when you're contemplating a career in journalism. Do you think that's true, as a general rule?