Gabriella Berman

November 5, 2009
JOUR300
Ethics: As Seen in Almost Famous

Ethics in journalism and factual writing are essential for a career path in journalism for

the primary reason that the public trusts the facts given by media. Because of this, it is important

for the interviewer as well as the interviewee to be honest and give understandable and reliable

quotations. In Almost Famous, the idea of proper interviewing and relationships between the

press and the public fall under great scrutiny because of the unethical ways William gets his

story and the lies presented by the band being interviewed. The ethics of a true journalist and the

people surrounded him are questioned because of his demeanor around the band, the bands

rebuttal to the story, and the way the story’s focus and quotes were received. Because of his

actions, it is important to understand the way a journalist should truly act; and if put in the same

situation, what a person should do in response.

In the movie, the most important sequence of events is the in the last few scenes when

William actually submits the story to Rolling Stone Magazine. This is the primary focus of

ethics; however, it is important to understand the way that William acted when he was around

the band. From the beginning, William tries to be professional and interview the band to get his

story and leave. Once Rolling Stone Magazine gets word of William’s work, they ask him to go

on the road with Stillwater, an up and coming band. While on the road, the band refers to

William as “the enemy,” yet still allows him to get extremely close to them and witness what

goes on when they are off the stage. Throughout the movie, William is portrayed as a journalist,

but what is being shown is not the true actions a journalist would or should ever take. Because of

his unprofessional behavior, he allows the band to walk all over him and deny everything he

writes in his story and thus causes the magazine to drop the story and opt for another article.
 The movie shows William constantly trying interview the band with his tape recorder, but

the band ignoring his requests. Because of this, he has to resort to taking notes at all times he is

around them and using their life as a basis for his story. William is trying to be portrayed as a

professional and capable journalist, but in reality what he is doing is completely unethical

because of his disregard for the band and his close personal relationship with them. The movie

does, however, try and show William as being proficient by showing him with a notepad and a

recording device most of the time, but to people who understand the inner workings of

journalism, it is easy to see that this is not the case.

The movie overall is well thought through because of the emphasis on legitimate

journalistic skills and the overall tone of the piece. Though it is not stated that William is taking

notes and recording the band at all times, it is shown through his constant writing and recording

of the bands lives when they aren’t looking. The movie doesn’t necessarily say that William is

unethically writing a play by play of the bands personal life, but it shows it through his life and

his choices when he is around them. Because of this and the fact that William is a journalist, the

overall tone of the movie can only be described as pragmatic; an appropriate tone, yet misleading

because the basic principles of ethical journalism are constantly disregarded and ignored. When

William is on the plane with the band, he is seen as interviewing one of the members, until the

turbulence begins and the riders lives are put at stake. William quickly is seen moving the tape

recorder, but it is not shown that he turns it off. The band had no idea that he was taping the

entire time, and the movie doesn’t necessarily say whether or not this is true, but once the story is

submitted, it is assumed that the interview continued whether the band knew it or not.

William witnessed the band on drugs, committing adultery, and numerous other cases

where ethics were put to the side. With each of these occurrences he had his pen in his hands and

he took notes on everything, which would have been acceptable had the band known his
intentions from the start. In the movie, one of the band members says “just make us look cool,

man” and William immaturely agrees. William has to understand that it is not in his best interest

for his career path to promise this to the band member. Williams loyalty does not lie with the

band (an important misconception), rather with the public and their thirst for the truth and facts

of behind the scenes lifestyles of bands on the road.

For the professional journalist, it is important to understand ethics and codes of conduct

within this career. If a media organization says to “go on the road” with a band, the ideal way to

go about this is to travel alone and stay in a hotel alone. This makes it easier to ensure that the

boundaries between professionalism and friendship are not crossed and that the band knows that

you are there to get a story and not look out for their wellbeing. If this simple rule is followed,

then the band cannot deny any part of the story and there will be no issues with bosses and

editors. In addition, rather than taking notes and recording the band when they are unaware, a

journalist should always inform the interviewee that they are recording and what their intent is

with the story. It is not proper to spend so much time with the band or any other subject matter

because eventually the professional line is crossed, whether the journalist meant to or not.

Almost Famous is an excellent portrayal of journalism during a time when ethics may not

have been a top consideration, but in today’s world it is only appropriate to follow the rules and

regulations of a moral code in order to ensure truthfulness and validity is always present and that

facts are never sacrificed for entertainment. If a journalist stays true to fairness and ethics, there

are greater chances that their stories will be a success and that they were gain the respect of their

coworkers and the general public.