Law & disorder: the image of the journalist in television's Law & Order series

Unrestricted There isn't much to like about most of the journalists in the Law & Order version of New York City. Manipulative journalists abuse the power of the press and rarely repent their sins. Anonymous journalists populate the show with hordes of cameras, microphones and flashbulbs. The easy manipulation of media -- tricking the press into reporting untruths or publicity stunts -- is common. Law & Order even forces a discussion of journalistic ethics and traditions. With only a few watchdog journalists in the storylines, many of these journalists aren't very likable. Some star reporters do shine through, breaking important stories, protecting their sources or pursuing a crooked cop, but those instances are few and far between. In a show that bills itself as "ripped from the headlines," the audience may be balancing their opinions of journalists on a show that has trouble drawing a line between fact and fiction.