So I have been re-watching the 3 seasons of the Hannibal TV series, and the character of Freddie Louds really struck a cord with me. No because of Lara Jean Chorostecki’s acting skills or how well the character was written by Bryan Fuller and Thomas Harris. But how a fictional character can be such a massive indictment of real world journalism we see in the media these days. For those of you who do not know Freddie Lounds is a reappearing character in the Hannibal movies, portraying tabloid blogger and aspiring journalist who runs a website called “Tattle Crime.” Who doesn’t gives a damn about ethics or about the rule of law. But in a brilliant move, Bryan Fuller and Thomas Harris gender flipped the character of Freddie into a fiery red head. Her methods of obtaining information in the TV show often skirt, and sometimes outright breaks the law.

What really intrigued me though is how a fictional TV series and a fictional character could portray modern day journalism so damn near perfectly. Freddie for a better term of the word is a slime ball, she is unethical, she does not care about the people she hurts. All she cares about is getting the next big scoop. Sounds pretty much like most journalists these days, doesn’t it? This sums up modern day journalism, doesn’t it? And no I am not denying the fact that there are journalists out there today that work tirelessly to defend the truth, expose corruption and risk their lives on a daily basis. But those are few and far between now, most supposed journalists these days are glorified bloggers like myself with a degree in gender studies. Who would go digging in a trashcan for their latest story if it means they could get a scoop.

[Editorial Note:] If you haven’t watched the ABC Hannibal TV series yet do it! It is only 3 seasons, but Mad Mikkelsen’s portrayal of Hannibal was simply amazing.