Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times

Andrew Rossi's documentary not only selectively covers 12 months in the life of the nation's newspaper of record, but also looks at the broader difficulties facing all traditional print media from online competition. Page One focuses on the New York Times' media desk, which covers journalism itself. Investigative writers Tim Arango and Andrew Ross Sorkin put the final touches to a piece about a complicated media merger. Erstwhile blogger Brian Stelter covers the WikiLeaks release of classified government documents, in which the Times itself becomes a partner (a decision much debated among staff). And David Carr, an older reporter who serves as a spokesman for tradition against the new media, publicly deflates Michael Wolff, the pompous head of the website Newser, who predicts the demise of outlets like the Times. The rumpled, disarmingly gruff Carr—whose telling response to Wolff is that without papers Newser would have virtually nothing to aggregate—is also the star of the film's last segment, an exposé of the destruction of the once-great Chicago Tribune Corporation by a group of investors dedicated to profit, even at the expense of journalistic integrity. This cautionary tale contrasts the Times' high, often self-critical standards with the mercenary motives of others. Offering a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour while also raising significant issues about the future of news reporting, Page One is both a fitting tribute to a great institution and a warning about what would be lost if it should disappear. Recommended. (F. Swietek)