Journalism feels the love, as does Scoopy
The climatic moment of the movie “Spotlight” didn’t involve anything blowing up, anyone getting shot or even a duel between a sword and a mightier pen. It was a shot of delivery trucks pulling out of a parking lot.
Those trucks represented the news being delivered.
The news was bad; a horrifying breach of faith by the Catholic Church. The Globe had uncovered the abuse of children by roughly 75 priests. The Globe’s “Spotlight” team of journalists researched, compiled, corroborated and wrote some 800 stories. Those trucks were carrying their first story out of the shadows and into the light of day. As those trucks pulled out of the Boston Globe’s parking lot, it was the beginning of the end for those who were guilty and a new beginning for many of the abused.
Some viewers became verklempt.
Eventually, the story of pedophile priests reached communities across the world and right here – from Lodi to San Andreas to Los Angeles. The aftermath continues 14 years later.
Too often, fictional cops and villains are derisive of reporters, portraying the media as unethical, manipulated or interested only in sensationalism. Rarely are reporters held up as heroic. More rarely is the work we do shown in all its unglamorous detail and made to appear exciting.
That’s why people involved in journalism – reporters, photographers, editors, pressmen, ad salespeople and, yes, truck drivers – cheered in their living rooms when the Best Picture Academy Award went to “Spotlight” on Sunday night. Validation.
We’re grateful our community supports the work as the industry works through some difficult times as we develop new ways of delivering the news – through video, real-time digital and social media. And we have faith that as long as we do it well, readers will continue to support us.
In the meantime, our rewards will rarely arrive in the form of Oscars. Instead, we’ll be content just knowing our work matters and makes a difference.
As it did, in a very small way, to another Oscar winner. The award for adapted screenplay went to “The Big Short,” about the collapse of the housing market and the culpability of that enormous casino known as Wall Street.
In detailing the calamity that followed the 2008 collapse, a video clip was shown of a woman in Turlock. If you looked closely – it lasted all of 2 seconds – you would have noticed Scoopy in the lower right corner. That was a Modesto Bee clip, taken by a Bee journalist, in the midst of an Oscar-winning movie.
It might not have been as dramatic as trucks pulling out of a parking lot, but it was something for us to cheer.
This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Journalism feels the love, as does Scoopy."