Most film critics have repeatedly deemed Citizen Kane the greatest film of all time. The film is about a newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane, the foundation of journalism in the whole storyline (Armstrong 126). While Kane is on his deathbed, he utters the word “Rosebud.” Jerry Thompson, a reporter, is assigned by the producer to investigate and come up with the meaning of Rosebud. Thompson has high hopes that his investigation will reveal the real identity of Kane and add some color to the media magnate’s eulogy newsreel. Although Citizen Kane depicts a century-old black and white journalism, it is relevant for viewing for journalism students in the 21st-century because it has crucial lessons that they need.
The film uses all-important angles to try and reveal who Kane was before his death. Due to this, news reporters submerge in a room with dark cocktails and cigarette smoke while discussing Kane’s eulogy newsreel. This indicates that all reporters have been brought together to bring different angles of people who have ever heard of any connection with Kane (Hofer and Busch 3). In addition, the producer informs Thompson their reporting requires a hook to be unique from other media houses reporting Kane’s demise. In the 21st-century, freelance journalism has become very popular such that anyone can pitch an idea with the click of a button, but an appealing angle is still crucial when it comes to getting better commissions. Therefore, Citizen Kane is teaching 21st-century journalism students how to identify and use critical angles to develop exciting news.
From another perspective, the film is relevant for viewing in the 21st-century is that it does not rely on a single source. Further on, the news producer says, “Get in touch with everybody who ever worked for him, whoever loved him, whoever hated his guts” (“Watch Citizen Kane 1941 Full Movie Online HD – Hdflixtor”). This clearly shows how journalism is used as a narrative tool to visualize Kane’s life by using second-hand narrations of people close to him. The story is from Thatcher, who regularly clashed with Kane, to Bernstein, a good friend and colleague at The New York Daily Inquirer. Kane’s negative and positive sides are narrated in these interviews depending on the interviewee. This teaches the journalist of the current generation the importance of remaining objective while gathering information from a wide array of sources
Further on, the film depicts the threat of fake news. There is no doubt that the character of Charles Forster was generated by William Randolph Hearst, who was a real newspaper publisher. This is proved in the scene where Kane says: “You provide the prose poems; I’ll provide the war” (“Watch Citizen Kane 1941 Full Movie Online HD – Hdflixtor”). This was an answer to a writer who was unwilling to work for Kane in The Inquirer because he lied about the war in Cuba (Jackson 30). The words used by Kane to reply to the writer were similar to the ones used by Hearst. This shows that fake news has been there in the past and present. Therefore it is an inescapable issue that is common in the journalism field.
Additionally, the film depicts yellow journalism, similar to the 21st-century’s clickbait. This can be seen when Kane says that “If the headline is big enough, it makes the news big enough” (“Watch Citizen Kane 1941 Full Movie Online HD – Hdflixtor”). In addition, this is a scene where Kane prioritizes the gossip of housewives on the cover page over important news. This raises issues that lead Welles to comment on yellow journalism, where he says that many newspapers would print ill-researched and sensationalized news to appeal to readers. The difference between present and past journalism is social media, as it avails much for consumption in the 21st-century (Hofer and Busch 5). In addition, social media has the clear benefits of providing journalists with a wide range of reach and easier access to sources leading it to become a hotbed for conspiracy theories and clickbait. The criticism of yellow journalism in the film can easily be applied to the modern prevention of shame.
The movie displays journalism as work that should be done 24 hours. This is clearly shown by the assumption of transferring the bedroom into the office, which suggests living foreseeable loss of absurdity. Further on, Carter objected that the bedroom should not be moved into his office because they are morning newspapers that should be opened 12 hours a day, but Kane responded to him by saying the news is supposed to be for 24 hours a day (Jackson 35). The film was ahead of the curve since the 24 hours idea was 40 years prior to the first 24-hour news channel rolled. Although in the 21st-century news, reporters are not being asked to bring pyjamas and slippers to the studio, Citizen Kane was forecasting modern society having limitless access to the news.
Another reason is that the film has depicted how journalism can negatively influence people and lead to suicide. This act is shown when media houses criticize Susan Alexander’s skills when Kane decides to make her a singing star. All the writings and comments from the newspapers affect her emotionally until she tries to commit suicide (Armstrong 135). While she is recovering from suicidal attempts, she informs Kane that she cannot continue singing because she does not have the strength to fight the media. This shows how she was negatively impacted by news about her not being talented. What is happening in the films was a prediction of cyberbullying in the 21st century leading to suicide.
In conclusion, Citizen Kane is a movie that requires viewing in the 21st century for American students studying journalism. This is because the whole film is based on journalism and its effect on society. The main things depicted in the movie that are crucial for American students are: using all-important angles when making news, not relying on a single source, threats of fake news, clickbait, and dedicating much of their time to journalism. These crucial lessons from the movie have made it relevant for viewing for 21st-century journalism students.
Works Cited
“Watch Citizen Kane 1941 Full Movie Online HD – Hdflixtor”. Hdflixtor.Com, 2022.
Armstrong Richard. “Some Kind of a Man: Revisiting Citizen Kane.” Australian Screen Education, no. 33, 2003, pp. 125–129.
Hofer, Jan, and Holger Busch. “Why Citizen Kane Was Unhappy: Motive-Goal Incongruence”. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, vol 11, no. 8, 2017, p. e12330.
Jackson, Tony E. “Writing, Orality, and Cinema: The ‘Story’ Of Citizen Kane”. Narrative, vol 16, no. 1, 2008, pp. 29-45.