The act of performing journalism means hours on the phone trying to reach sources, talking to dozens of people to get their stories, spending hours double checking their stories for accuracy, writing or recording a story, sitting through excruciating editing that spanks your ego, rewriting or rerecording the piece to be ready for publication, and getting comments from the audience about how inept you can be (in their eyes).

So, how do you put all of that, much of which is done sitting down, into a movie and make it thrilling, fun, and mind-blowing? Well, it can work. You need a good script and a skilled editor who knows how to structure the story to tell it within two hours.

The 1978 movie Superman was the first time I watched a movie where journalists played the hero. You may say, Luis, that’s a comic book movie about a superhuman being. Yes, but that protagonist plays two parts, Superman and the reporter at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent.

Fun fact: Reeve spent equal time donning the cape as he did the glasses.

I especially loved the scenes in the newsroom. You had the sounds of typewriters clacking while editors yelled orders across the room, and old rotary phones rang endlessly. This is old-school newsroom action. It really doesn’t exist like this anymore.

That’s why I came up with my list of my favorite 8 movies where the protagonists are journalists. By the way, there will be a bunch of movies that are not listed, and you’re gonna say, Luis, dude, you missed some great ones. No, this is MY list of MY favorite 8 movies. Make your own list. Then share, because I’d love to see it.

OK, at Number 8. Frost Nixon.

This is the perfect example of what I was saying. The act of journalism is usually just people having conversations. There’s no high-impact action. The tension exists in those conversations. One host tries to win an intellectual chess match with a former president. It’s riveting.

At Number 7, Pelican Brief.

First, I just want to say I miss old movie trailers. You know, the ones with the Godlike booming voice narrating the story. Pelican Brief is one of those great ’90s thrillers, and it has an all-star cast. I don’t think the portrayal of investigative journalists is completely accurate (though I must admit I haven’t seen this movie in years), but it’s still fun.

Coming in at Number 6, Fletch.

This one and the number five pick are comedies. Let’s face it, we need more laughs in life. I loved Chase’s deadpan delivery, and his smugness gives me the giggles. What I loved about the journalism in this movie is how the story unraveled the mystery piece by piece, underneath the many attempts by Chase to shift his identity and make snarky jokes toward authority.

Number 5, Anchorman.

I spent a couple of years working in television. This movie was everything I always wanted in a spoof on the industry. Anchorman hit on so many of its jokes. (Not so much with the sequel.) What I loved most about Anchorman was how it put the lens on the ambition and ego of anchors. Also, the battle royal of news teams remains one of my favorite scenes ever!

At Number 4, The Insider.

Look at this cast. Pacino. Crowe. Plummer. It’s based on the real-life story of whistleblower Dr. Jeffrey Wigand against the tobacco industry. Pacino plays CBS 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman. This movie is the best example of why 90s thrillers are a standard of excellence. The film, like all movies, takes some liberties in how it tells this story, but for the most part, it does a good job of rooting this in reality. Also, I love the line from Plummer’s character (Mike Wallace) when he said:

“Do me a favor, will you – spare me, for god’s sake, get in the real world, what do you think? I’m going to resign in protest? To force it on the air? The answer’s “no”. I don’t plan to spend the end of my days wandering in the wilderness of National Public Radio. That decision I’ve already made.”

Top three, at Number 3, The Paper.

This is a comedy-drama. And it’s a Ron Howard movie starring the great (I am biased) Michael Keaton. One of my favorite parts of the film is the editor’s meeting where they discuss stories. These are just a couple of the quotes in that scene.

“Oh God, he derails his train and steps over bodies to have a few beers? What do you do after you step over bodies? I have a cigarette and go to sleep.”

“Terrorists blow up a restaurant in Paris, killing five, none from New York. A ferry boat capsized in the Philippines, drowning 300, none from New York. There was a violent coup in Bahrain – none from New York – witnessed by two people from Long Island.”

If you watch it, you’ll understand the jokes.

Sitting at Number 2, All the President’s Men.

Can we please bring back film credits that are typed on the screen with the actual sound of a typewriter? One of the truly fascinating parts of this film is that almost 70% of it takes place in the newsroom. There are so many scenes where there is no dialogue, but instead just the ambience related to the environment. The suspense is built in those moments of silence. The scenes where Woodward (played by the late Robert Redford) met with Deepthroat in the parking garage are a master class in film. This film ages beautifully.

My top Journalism movie is Spotlight.

Do I need to say why Michael Keaton is one of the greatest ever? He’s on my list again, and once again working in a newspaper newsroom. Spotlight tackles the story of the paper exposing the Catholic Church’s efforts to hide a massive sexual assault problem with many of its priests. The movie follows a group of reporters who are part of a special investigative unit at the Boston Globe. We follow them in their daily job, making calls, finding and conversing with sources, and digging through documents to find the truth. I’m not underselling the importance of those things. This movie, like All the President’s Men, achieves suspense in the moments of silence.

This is my list. Yes, there are many other movies that I didn’t mention. There are some I have yet to watch. What’s your list?