Response: The September Issue

I didn't know that Meryl Streep/"The Devil Wears Prada" was based off of Anna Wintours/Vogue magazine.

I know. I KNOW. I feel incredibly dumb/uninformed. I thought that movie was just a general parody of fashion magazines.

However, now that I know the movie has more basis in reality than I thought and have seen some of "The September Issue," which is a documentary about Vogue's largest issue of the year and what it takes to put it together, I think aspiring magazine journalists should think seriously if that is the kind of world where they want to work. It seems like a volatile environment.

While I agree with one of my classmates who was surprised that Anna Wintours wasn't more, um, mean, the documentary still portrays her as kind of a bully to her staff. I was pretty sure one of the two women in a scene where Mrs. Wintour's is looking at ideas was going to burst into tears at any second.

What I always try to remember, even when I watch documentaries, is that there is still a sense of agenda. Just like a fiction movie producer, a documentary filmmaker still wants to provide a good story for it audience. As they say in show-business, a film has to have a direction.

A vision.

In some ways, journalism is a lot like documentary filmmaking. I believe there is a class within the MU journalism school that has to do with this subject. But, in a sense, each of us as we write/take photography/design for the Missourian are creating stories. A lot of times we plan these out because we want them to have a certain look or tell a particular story. This idea of agenda setting in journalism has been researched fairly extensively in academia but, honestly, is hard to avoid. Even in a non-academic world, agenda setting is noticed (complained about) by readers and sources. Particularly in regards to taking quotes of context. I am sure you have read letters-to-the-editor or heard follow-up interviews with people who say they didn't say something or it was taken the wrong way. Often this is done to create a story or project a certain viewpoint.

Outside of the media: Recently, the quote on the statue of Martin Luther King Jr., was amended after the civil rights leader was misquoted in stone.

It said, "I was a drum major for justice peace and righteousness."

However, the actual quote from King's speech was:

"Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness."

It was pointed out that the misquote made King sound arrogant.

So, what I am saying is, I guess, as I continue to watch this documentary and create an analysis of the magazine publishing business, I think it is important to remember that even documentaries are created to entertain and inform. However, I don't know if I want to work in that high-pressure world, whether this documentary depicts the work players in the environment in their true-light or not.

I did admire the passion and gumption of Grace Coddington. I could tell she really loved her job and that she is willing to stick up for her work.

Also, what was with Anna Wintour's haircut!