This kind of depiction pisses a lot of news media people off, especially female reporters and presenters who already have genuine concerns about having to deal with fucking idiots trying to slut-shame them. But they're still there – every reporter in every movie has to be a callous arsehole who just wants the story, or is just irredeemably damaged in some way.
There are people in the news industry who do behave unprofessionally and somehow get away with it – and somehow often rise to the top of the managerial pile - but most people who constantly sleep with sources, or blow through deadlines in a drunken haze, don't tend to last very long in a business where your reputation is everything.
Fortunately, being a professional is very easy for the vast majority of reporters, especially in this country, because it's not hard to do the right thing. Reporters might meet people on the job and get closer with them, but don't fall into bed with every goddamn person they meet, and most keep any hidden addictions well out of the newsroom.
There are still professional dilemmas that news reporters, editors and producers face every single day: questions of ethics and balance that must be confronted, and truths that must be exposed, no matter what the cost.
But really, the hardest time to be a professional journalist is when you meet somebody you really admire, and have to stop yourself from gushing all over them.
One of the great unexpected thrills of a job in the news media is that you often get to meet your personal heroes. Journalists always gravitate towards the things they truly give a shit about, and you might suddenly find yourself talking to a politician or actor or musician or writer who has created work that has profoundly moved you, and then have to talk to them as a pro. That's harder than it looks, but that's the job.
And sometimes it can be incredibly difficult to stop yourself from asking from an autograph or even – sadly – a selfie. Sometimes the PR people make it clear that that's not on, which is fine, but sometimes you have to give it a go, even then. Because you know you will just never forgive yourself if you don't let them know how much of a hero they are. After you've asked all the proper questions, of course.
(It should be noted that younger journos – including one member of the Media Scrum crew – have far less of a problem of getting the phone out for a quick shot. Culture and society changes, and it's a journalist's job to change with it.)
It can also go the other way, and you have to stay professional when you have to work with somebody you personally loathe.
Another Media Scrummer had this experience recently, when she was introduced to a leading radio personality during her day job, and hate to bite back the urge to tell him he was an odious influence on the national discourse, cheapening the overall debate with his mind-numbingly tedious perspective, which always hits out at the poor and oppressed in favour of the status quo, and he'll be forgotten 10 seconds after he signs off for the last time.
Instead she just said 'Nice to meet you, Mr Hosking,' and got on with the job. She assures you all that while this might be the coward's approach, it was also the polite and professional way of going about things.
Those kind of dilemmas are far, far more common than the type seen on Sharp Objects. They don't make great television, but they're still a daily hill to climb.
- Steve Lombard
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