Lies About Journalism Told By Your Favourite Romantic Comedies

When people ask me why I got into journalism, I often tell them that it's because I've always had a nose for stories, a love of writing, an innate desire to document the human experience. That's all a lie. I got into journalism because I spent much of my youth bombarded with incredibly seductive depictions of the field, primarily via the romantic comedies of the Nineties and Noughties. So imagine my surprise when I moved to the big city, a portfolio of student journalism under my arm, to discover that it's not how it looks in the movies and glossy US TV shows. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. 13 Going On 30. Never Been Kissed. The Devil Wears Prada. Sex And The City. They all present the industry through rose-tinted spectacles, at best suggesting that journalism is a sea of parties and champagne and, at worst, deceiving the young into thinking that the profession isn't riddled with insecurity and cruelty.

The hoodwinkery of it all is a trending topic on Twitter right now with the aforementioned Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway classics returning to Netflix. Naturally, those with experience in the industry can't but help pick apart (read: meme) the countless wild deceptions rom-coms sold us way back when.

And of course, there are many more - here are the biggest lies we've been told by some of our, admittedly, favourite films.

Journalism is financially rewarding

Sex And The City heroine Carrie Bradshaw had one column for a New York newspaper. Somehow, she rented a gorgeous Manhattan apartment, purchased hundreds of pairs of shoes, and wore couture in almost every single scene. She ate out constantly and was always in cabs. For the record, a weekly column in a newspaper will never provide enough money for this lifestyle. A journalist with one regular commission would live in a studio apartment in Queens with three friends and would live on noodles. Sure, as the series progresses she picks up additional incomes - she wrote occasional features for Vogue, found vague success with her books and, once, was left a wad of cash by a one night stand - but journalism does not make most people rich.

The writers eventually acknowledged the absurdity of Carrie's spending by discussing her debt, and her regret at spending so much money on shoes. 'I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoe', she cries. Honey, you're going to have to sell that shoe, too. Thinking of doing it for the money? Best get saving now.

If the work is hard, it's their fault, not yours

The Devil Wears Prada's Andy Sachs somehow gets a job as second assistant to the editor of Runway, a Vogue-esque magazine. First of all: as if. She then spends the whole film complaining, repeatedly suggesting that her boss is being unreasonable for calling her out of hours, demanding coffee and lunch, sending her on errands and caring too much about fashion, the industry she works in.

Journalism is hard. Magazine editors are busy and demanding. Andy's tale tells viewers that when it's too hot in the kitchen, you should complain and leave rather than adapt and thrive. She didn't deserve that job. All that talk about her boyfriend being the true villain of the piece is a lie: Andy Sachs is the villain of The Devil Wears Prada.

Journalists work on one assignment at a time

I love How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Kate Hudson is a truly divine romantic lead and she brings charm, wit and a cheeky wink to her depiction of Andie Anderson, a journalist at a monthly women's magazine that has something of a Cosmo or Marie Claire feel. Despite lofty aspirations - she wants to write about politics, current affairs, religion - she is the title's How To girl, which leads to the commission of the title.

This story dominates her time. She spends the whole film working on it, and when she stops for breaks to lie on the roof or sip cocktails with her journo gal pals, it is clear that she does not have any other work to worry about: it is the sole commission. She is a full-time writer, with a staff job, researching and writing a single piece for the next month's issue. You see a similar set-up in Confessions Of A Shopaholic.

This doesn't happen. In real life, Andie would be juggling this piece with four or five other time-consuming responsibilities - at least - and would not be able to dedicate these ten days to seeing her target every single evening. Want to know how to lose a guy in ten days in real life? Cancel on the second date because you've got a phone interview scheduled for 8pm that's due on your editor's desk tomorrow lunchtime.

Positivity always wins out

Jennifer Garner is a joy in 13 Going On 30. When her teen self wakes up in the body of her future thirty-something, she discovers that she is a magazine editor (again, the monthly title is much like Cosmo or Marie Claire) with a reputation for being mean. With her childlike positive attitude, she fights to change that, wearing retro looks, dancing to Thriller at the magazine's big party and, at the end, pitching a new rebrand focused on real women, finding joy in nostalgia, embracing youth and difference. In real life, they'd have her sectioned.

Being editor of a magazine requires an alacrity for budgets, commercial deals, a thick skin and a willingness to make tough choices. She truly wouldn't last a day.

Undercover assignments are a thing

Sure, investigations with national repercussions or a major public interest may call for seasoned journalists to pretend to be someone they're not as part of a sting or undercover operation. But the process is not rife in features journalism. Sub editor Josie Geller - Never Been Kissed, we love you - would not be sent to a high school to pretend to be a teenager, just to see if something interesting happened. It's an ethical minefield, and many of the teenagers and teachers befriended by Josie in the name of journalism would have real grounds for legal complaints.

Besides, the newspaper would not be willing to dispense with their best sub-editor for, what, three months? For one feature? Please.

So there you have it. Journalism is full of surprises. There are thrills and spills. I am glad to be in this mercurial industry. But if you want to make it, you're going to need some new heroines. Trust me.

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