Only two days and a couple of films in to this year’s Sheffield DocFest, and a startling thematic pattern is beginning to emerge. As with The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and Shut Up Little Man, Andrew Rossi’s documentary charting a year in the life of The New York Times, Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times raises notions of morality, and responsibility within a changing media landscape.

Like many notable documentaries, Rossi struck lucky temporally thanks to the major upheavals that occurred at The New York Times during the twelve months that he spent in residence at their Eighth Avenue Manhatten offices. The Wikileaks saga unfolded, blurring the lines between responsible journalism and freedom of information, job cuts saw 35 year faithful workers face the axe and newspapers across the world folded in the wake of the increasing reliance on free online news sources, leaving The New York Times to act as a kind of barometer for the industry in itself.

Going in to the film I was concerned it may be little more than an ad for the paper. The question I found myself asking myself was; “Tradition aside why should we care about the demise of an old newspaper?”. Thankfully not only was the question suitably answered in the film itself, but it was also tackled head-on. The savvy writers for the newspaper are fully aware of public opinion, but maintain that (and exhibit just why) their survival is essential in the face of an evolving news industry.

The film is beautifully shot, opening with the sight of newspaper machinery in action. An ironic (I hope) Citizen Kane poster adorns the wall of one sub-editor, and we meet the engrossing and entertaining work force of the paper itself, with one man in particular proving a wonderful host. David Carr, a man who, in his own words has lived a “textured life” is the undoubted star of the film. He’s the closest thing to a host that the codumentary has, with his voice-over narration carrying the film, and his “personal journey” to use a crass term, proving the most emotionally engaging story strand of the film. Carr’s interactions with colleague Brian Stelter, a young buck that epitomises the changing nature of the news industry are priceless, with one notable exchange centering around the arrival of the iPad, the device deemed by many to be the saviour of the newspaper industry.  While Brian hyperbolically, and with tongue firmly-in-cheek declares it the “Gateway To The Future” Carr suggests that “gallows” may be the more appropriate term than “gateway”.

As the film progresses, and the developing nature of news reportage and journalism is further explored, one can’t help but be convinced that there is still an important place for the likes of The New York Times. And while I may not have the answer to the all-important $64,000 question of how to ensure survival at the heart of the Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times (the obvious answer would be that the Paper Of Record would be granted some kind of government support, but obviously that raises a whole heap of moral questions in itself).  And the rivalry between The New York Times and its online “rivals” (most significantly perhaps The Huffington Post) once the cameras stopped rolling. Just today the top Google News result for “New York Times” is a story from The Guardian revealing that Arianna Huffington’s website has finally knocked the New York Times off of the top spot as the most visited news site in the world.

Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times  is a thoroughly absorbing and surprisingly cinematic experience, and by far the highlight of an already very strong DocFest 2011.