Nightcrawler is a popular movie released by Universal Studios in 2014 that considers the ethics and motives of the people behind television news. The story follows Lou Bloom, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who starts as a common thief but becomes a video news stringer and eventually builds a successful business based on a series of unethical and illegal acts. The movie takes a highly critical view of television news and conveys that the people in its employ lack any empathy and are only concerned with their own gain. Specifically, they only want fame and fortune and will do anything to achieve it which includes ignoring stories that involve minorities and the poor, manipulating and staging news events, deliberately hyping and sensationalizing stories to garner ratings, and even resorting to murder to eliminate competition and attain the most compelling footage. Widely recognized by critics, Nightcrawler was nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the Motion Picture Academy as well as the Writers Guild of America. Many organizations listed Nightcrawler as one of the ten best films of 2014 including the American Film Institute, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, and the Southeastern Film Critics Association. Moreover, Jake Gyllenhaal was nominated for Best Actor awards by both the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild. As a highly respected film with the potential to influence public opinion about the news media, Nightcrawler deserves further study and examination. As a result, this paper will demonstrate how Nightcrawler represents television news personnel and positions the audience to view them as narcissists and sociopaths without any real regard for the truth or informing the public.
About the presenterMichael Moeder
Michael Moeder is an assistant professor in the Communication Department at Salisbury University. He is a member of the Media Studies track and teaches courses in mass media analysis and writing. Moeder received his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Missouri and his dissertation examined the narrative structure of the television sitcom. In regard to research, Moeder is interested in the way entertainment programming shapes viewers’ values and attitudes.