Five Star Final

 

The 1931 film Five Star Final explores themes of ethics, accountability, power, and the cost of human exposure. The movie also reflects on several concepts we've learned about in journalism history. 

Penny Press Era 

A photo of the scandal in the Gazette. 

The film is based on the paper The Gazette, which, like newspapers during the Penny Press Era, aimed to attract as much of an audience as possible. Much like Benjamin Day and the New York Sun, which charged almost nothing to achieve a mass audience, the Gazette operates with similar logic.  Hincheclife spends the film demanding the Voorhees story, not because of personal interest in the scandal, but because he knows it will spike sales. Additionally, Penny Press editors discovered "human interest" stories that focused on individuals rather than commercial affairs. In terms of Penny Press standards, the Voorhees tragedy was the perfect human interest story involving a woman with a scandalous past, a respected reputation, and a daughter about to marry up. Five Star Final, in several ways, showcases the Penny Press Model at its logical extreme, stripped of any pretense that mass appeal and public good are the same thing.

Yellow Journalism 

A photo of Nancy Voorhees trying to stop
them from running the story. 

An aspect of the film that I felt Yellow Journalism was being displayed is the decision to dig up the decade-old story of Nancy Vorhees. Vorhees, who committed a decade-old crime, served to rebuild her life. The Gazette's improper intention of running the story for the success of sales of the newspaper shows disregard for any possible human damage this would soon cause. As the film progresses, we see the Gazette send a reporter disguised as a clergyman to the Voorhees household to gain the family's trust and extract information under false pretenses. This deceptive nature showcases reporting that is consistent with the Yellow Journalism Practice, that getting the story by any means necessary is more clever than misconduct. Ultimately, the tragic suicide of Nancy and her husband showcases the enormous harm that Yellow Journalism can cause. 

Press Barons 

Randall (left), Hinchcliffe (right). 

Primarily, I believe the character Hincheclife aligned much with Press Barons, which were powerful media proprietors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who built vast newspaper empires and used them as an instrument of personal power, profit, and political influence. As such, Hincheclife never confronted the wreckages he caused this family. He treats the newspaper purely as a commercial instrument. The paper exists to make money, and editorial decisions are business decisions. This reflects the way real Press Barons often subordinated journalistic integrity entirely to circulation and revenue goals. He also overrides the professional judgment of his editors without hesitation. When Randall expresses moral reservations about the Voorhees story, Hincheclife dismisses them immediately. The film is not just criticizing bad journalism practices — it is criticizing the ownership structure that produces and perpetuates those practices.

Randall

Hinchcliffe is a character who I felt followed no journalistic ethics. For him, all decisions made are purely business, and he never hesitates to make decisions that may affect anybody else. It seems that Randall is an ethically complex character, as he seems to clearly understand that what they are doing is wrong. He attempts numerous times to raise his voice and objections, but is primarily seen dealing with his uncomfortable behavior by drinking or chronically washing his hands. But in the end, Randall ends up complying with the requests, which ultimately leaves him with strong feelings of regret. The character who is sent as the clergyman is a clear representation of deceptive journalistic behavior, abandonment of ethical practices, and manipulation.

I believe ethical obligations the journalist owes the people they write about are to avoid unnecessary harm to harmless individuals, the obligation not to use deception, and to consider whether it serves any public interest beyond satisfying curiosity

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The paper also suggests that the Gazette is deceiving the readers as well. Readers an outrageous, recycled scandal instead of genuine information that is beneficial to the readers' lives. 

Randall seems to be the only one with questions on his conscience. He knows the ethical framework he is violating, but uses drinking as a coping mechanism to get him through his denial. The tragedy of Randall is ultimately that awareness without courage produces the same outcome as no awareness at all. 

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