"Junjie has always been lonely. A person carries the entire battlefield on his back, against the torrent of time, pulling the end of the long rope of history, and running against the road. ”
This is a quote I quoted when I wrote an argumentative essay in middle school, and today I use it at the beginning of this post-viewing feeling. After watching the movie "Truth First", I came up with this sentence in my mind, the female journalist Rachel is lonely, not understood, the family is broken, and the dilemma of prison; but her adherence to professional ethics, humanity and firmness of principles make me feel that she is a heroine among women.
Female journalist Rachel obtained an intelligence from an informant about a rather disgraceful act by the government. The news report was published with the support of her husband, Ray. The government eventually put Rachel in the dock for leaking state secrets, and it was patton, the self-appointed prosecutor who presided over the case. In court, in the face of Parton's questioning, Rachel calmly recounts the whole incident, and the balance in the public mind begins to tilt toward Rachel, but Allen insists that Rachel must say who the provider of the information is, and Rachel gradually falls into a dilemma. Allen begins to put pressure on public opinion and Rachel's family, and Ray gradually resists the pressure of the state and advises Rachel to submit to the state. But Rachel expressed her insistence to Ray: truth comes first.
The cleverness of the film lies in the "echo of the beginning and the end". At the beginning of the film, the heroine's son and mother argue with the mother about the little girl in the car complaining to the teacher about others bullying her, "We shouldn't tell the truth!" "But we can't let others bully, so sit back and don't argue..." The heroine who was busy writing the report did not realize that she actually adhered to the same principles as her son, and she did not expect that she would be imprisoned, but she still adhered to her principles by will and faith when the people rebelled.
To be honest, this movie looks very sad, not only has a new understanding of the profession of journalists, but also has a feeling about the operation of state power and laws, but these two points are inseparable from the principles of human nature.
The intuitive feeling is the power of the machine. Whether it is government conspiracy theories or fair law enforcement, it is actually a powerful state apparatus that envelops people. Compared with the people, the citizens are always the weaker side. Although a country like the United States is known for advocating democracy and advocating freedom, when there is a conflict between the interests of citizens and the government, many times citizens are always victims. As the line in the movie goes, and that's what Judge Stewart said in the 1972 Brysburg case, "Over time, the power in the hands of government permeates every corner." These people in power, no matter what policy instruments they use, only want to exist forever, and the people are the ultimate victims. ”
In fact, I think this sentence really says what we want to say as a citizen but dare not say, and safeguarding state secrets may be our obligation and responsibility for a citizen, but when state secrets become a secret to cover up the faults of those in power, should citizens bravely stand up and reveal the truth of reality, and as a journalist, should they be more brave to stand up? The trial process of the whole case fully shows that citizens are in opposition to those in power and are always losers. When the people cannot restrain those in power with the power in their hands, the people become a loser who has lost any rights.
I admire the principles upheld by the female journalists in the film. Journalists have an obligation to protect information providers who do not wish to be named. Although she faced trials by juries, judges, and even coercive interrogations by special prosecutors, she still had more than a year in prison. She still didn't give in, didn't say who her informant was. As a journalist, as a female reporter, in the face of such a lot of pressure, she can still be so resolute to protect her informants and insist on "truth first", which is why I wrote "Junjie" at the beginning.
The heroine in the movie perseveres in the most difficult times. And only in difficult times can the meaning of persistence be revealed. Great men are inseparable from his principles. His natural morality is his principle, and these are worth paying any price.
What is supreme? Human nature, principles, ethics, integrity, beliefs, positions? I think these are all things we need to think about.