Tatler’s picks: Films paying tribute to journalism on Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day

With America Ferrera’s winning performance, Ugly Betty becomes a bold declaration about the power of storytelling: you don’t need to look like the cover of a magazine to belong behind it. The glossy wardrobes, fraught meetings and office mishaps all come together to portray the modern-day journalist with heart and humour.

Few films have illuminated the dazzling yet punishing world of editorial media quite like The Devil Wears Prada. Andrea Sachs, fresh out of university with a degree in literature, unexpectedly becomes assistant to Miranda Priestly, the legendary editor-in-chief of Runway, infamously dubbed the “devil” of fashion. Between high-stakes meetings on cerulean and a litany of impossible requests, Andrea comes to realise that survival here demands more than hard work—it may cost her a piece of herself.

Meryl Streep’s masterful portrayal elevates Miranda to an editorial archetype, while Anne Hathaway offers a nuanced take on the tension between ambition and identity. Beyond its iconic wardrobe, what cements the film’s cultural legacy is a timely question it leaves behind: must success always come at such a cost?

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Inspired by Cosmopolitan magazine, The Bold Type is a contemporary drama series that offers a glimpse behind the scenes at Scarlet, a leading feminist publication in New York. Three women working across culture, styling and social media navigate the pressures of professional life, the vestiges of adolescence, and the complex questions of career, love and identity.

Unlike stories that place journalism at the heart of political intrigue or investigative tension, The Bold Type opts for a gentler, more introspective lens where every article becomes a chance to engage with the world, and each looming deadline a quiet reminder of why we began. Visually understated yet emotionally resonant, the series speaks to anyone who’s ever attended a pitch meeting or raced to edit a headline before print.

Not every journalist is applauded for uncovering the truth. In Truth, Cate Blanchett portrays CBS News investigative journalist Mary Mapes, who stumbles upon contentious evidence relating to President George W. Bush’s military history. The backlash is swift—from the public, rival media, and even her own network.

Blanchett delivers a Mary Mapes both fierce and fragile—someone who places accuracy above personal safety. Quiet in tone yet potent in message, Truth captures the solitude of career-defining choices, when the real confrontation lies not with an error, but with an entire structure determined to keep it buried.

Among the many films portraying journalism, Spotlight stands apart for its gravity and restraint. Rather than dazzling with spectacle, it focuses on the methodical efforts of investigative reporters, following each thread with unflinching resolve, committed to truth even when facing powerful opposition.

Measured in pace and performance, and with a tone close to documentary, Spotlight resists sensationalism. And that’s precisely why it resonates so deeply: Journalism may not always be glamorous, but when it seeks justice and defends the public’s right to know, it is something to be proud of. A vital reflection, especially today, when faith in the press has never been more delicate.

Though times have changed, and though newspapers now live in pixels rather than print, and much has lost its former lustre, the essence of journalism endures: to tell stories with honesty, grace and humanity. On Press Day, these films remind us that behind every printed page and every press of “publish” lies a heart quietly writing down its belief in truth.

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