Sam Adams and his colonial paper, the Boston Gazette

The founding fathers thought so much of journalism’s role in a democracy that they protected the free press in the First Amendment to the Constitution. Acting as the public’s watchdog, keeping government and corporations accountable, the newspaper became one of the cornerstones of the American experiment.

That vital historical role is now in peril. Circulation and ad revenue have plummeted as readers and advertisers flock to the Internet. Hundreds of newspapers have ceased publishing. And thousands of journalists have been laid off or bought out as newspaper companies, accustomed to profits of 20 to 30 percent, struggle to maintain those margins. In some cases, disgruntled stockholders have even forced venerated news chains like Knight-Ridder and the Tribune Co. out of business.

From inside newsrooms where journalists are fighting for their profession, through interviews with leading lights and media experts, Stop the Presses asks, is the “dead tree” model of printed newspapers still relevant? With newsrooms being decimated, who will hold public officials to task? Will newspapers be shells of their former selves by the time they figure out how to make the Web pay? Will new institutions emerge online to take up the slack? If not, where will citizens turn for reliable, in-depth news and information? Or will rumor, gossip and politically motivated lies rule the day?

The film includes interviews with Pulitzer Prize winners Ben Bradlee and Anne Hull of the Washington Post, media critics David Carr of the New York Times and Ken Auletta of the New Yorker, Miami Herald humor columnist Dave Barry and Ed Asner, TV’s Lou Grant. It also depicts the image of the journalist in popular culture with clips from such movies as His Girl Friday, Deadline U.S.A., Inherit the Wind, Ace in the Hole, All the President’s Men and The Paper.