"I love the smell of fear in a newsroom."
— Perry White, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
The Intrepid Reporter's boss. Gruff and authoritarian, frequently a Cigar Chomper, often seen with his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up. Is fond of both shouting at his reporters over any conceivable pretext, often scoffing at seemingly outlandish stories submitted no matter how much evidence is presented, and passionately defending them (and the newspaper) from any threats to the freedom of the press.
Has a lot of overlap in personality and plot function (and surprisingly often appearance) with Da Chief. (If he's Perry White, don't call him "Chief"!)
The School Newspaper Newshound is a frequent variant seen in many episodic TV series.
Examples:
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Across Multiple Media
- The page image is of J. Jonah Jameson, the hardass editor of the Daily Bugle in Spider-Man and its numerous spin-offs and adaptations in various media, with the J. K. Simmons portrayal from Sam Raimi's film trilogy being perhaps the best-known version of him. That version is bossy and dismissive to his employee Peter Parker, but doesn't hesitate to sacrifice himself to keep the kid safe from a villain seeking revenge.
- Perry White, editor of the Daily Planet, in Superman and its numerous spin-offs and adaptations in various media. In the Supergirl story arc Bizarrogirl, Perry is seen ordering his workforce around, asking for eyewitness accounts, giving instructions and asking where are both Jimmy Olsen and his coffee. Perry has always been portrayed this way from John Hamilton in The Adventures of Superman to Jackie Cooper in Superman: The Movie. Lane Smith as Perry in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is slightly more jocular, and Laurence Fishburne's Perry in Man of Steel is a soft-spoken Deadpan Snarker, but you can still tell it's him.
- In The Superman Adventures, based on the animated series, one issue shows Perry White wondering about his relationship with a new generation and "point a camera and narrate", then having a flashback to his old boss, "Old Man Jenkins". He realizes at the end of remembering a borderline disaster that may or may not have been on his shoulders he's older now than Jenkins was then.
- Perry White returns in My Adventures with Superman, appearing as a gruff Perpetual Frowner with most meetings with him tending to end with him barking at the employee to Get Out!. As Lois, Jimmy, and Clark are just interns he initially scoffs at their attempts to rise above their station and write stories, although he's understanding enough to not fire them outright over it.
Anime & Manga
- One Piece has "Big News" Morgans, head of the World Economic Journal, the main newspaper of the OP-verse. Morgans will do whatever it takes to sell his paper, and won't hesitate to drum up whatever story he can, the more sensational, the better. He will exaggerate, twist the facts, or make up something entirely if he has to. As he later states, "It's not about fact or fiction, it's about what sells!"
Comic Books
- René Goscinny gets caricatured as this in the Achille Talon comic books. There is a "No!" sign permanently fixed to his desk for the convenience of people asking for raises or days off and he does not hesitate to attack his subordinates with an axe if they don't deliver on schedule or are caught slacking off. The image of a rabid, hyperactive midget demanding the impossible from his underlings worked so well the real Goscinny was often met with surprise at how tall he was.
- Virtually all of Vic Sage's bosses in The Question.
- Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman: The version of Perry White in "Girls' Day Out" retains his strict way of running things, but has definitely had a character alteration for the sake of continuing the Running Gag of Wondy only getting questions about her love life and appearance from reporters as he sends Lois Lane a long list of fluff questions she "must ask Wonder Woman".
- In the Superman comics, both Clark Kent and Lois Lane have taken turns as Editor-In-Chief when Perry is indisposed temporarily. For Clark, he became Editor-In-Chief when Perry had to get chemotherapy for cancer. For Lois, she took over when Perry suffered a heart attack caused by Lex Luthor removing everyone's knowledge of Superman's secret identity.
- Despite technically being based on the cartoon that preceded it, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures had its own separate Da Editor figure in Murdock Maxwell, who fires April at the beginning of her spin-off mini-series.
- Mitchell "Where's my fucking column" Royce in Transmetropolitan, City Editor of The Word. Slightly unusual in that he heads a section rather than being Editor In Chief. Gets A Day in the Limelight in the issue "Two-Fisted Editor".
Let me tell you how it is. You gather the evidence and write stories. That's what you do. That's your job. I'm an editor. That means I do everything else.
- Gaston Lagaffe: Monsieur Dupuis is mostly The Unseen and The Faceless. He's also kind of The Dreaded for Dupuis Editions employees (outside Gaston), and whenever he's hit by one of Gaston's antics, serious consequences are to be expected.
Films — Live-Action
- Pringle, Richard's boss in Cradle of Fear. He initially he appears to be just a Pointy-Haired Boss: busting Richard's balls and threatening to fire him for no reason. However, it soon becomes apparent that his anger is justified, as Richard has become so wrapped up in his obsessions that he is no longer doing his job as a reporter. Eventually Richard isolates his cubicle from the rest of the office so he can surf the web looking for the elusive Sick Room site without being interrupted. Justifiably, Pringle fires him at this point and gets punched in the face for his trouble.
- In Dark Heritage, Mr. Daniels is Clint's editor at the paper. He protests the idea of sending the paper's best investigative reporter to spend the night in an Old, Dark House with two bozos from print room as a publicity stunt. And when things turn deadly, he tries to persuade Clint to drop the story and get out while he still can. It turns out he is actually a member of the Dansen family and wants Clint off the story before he learns the truth.
- In the 1952 film Deadline: USA, Humphrey Bogart plays Ed Hutcheson as a quietly intense version of this. When he does raise his voice, it's with meaning and purpose.
That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!
- Walter Burns in The Front Page, based on the stage play of the same name. As editor of the Chicago Examiner, he manipulates departing reporter Hildy Johnson into covering one last story before moving to Philadelphia to get married. He lies about everything to everyone in the name of pursuing the story, culminating in [[spoiler]]giving Hildy a watch (with Walter's name engraved on it) as a wedding present, only to wire ahead to have him arrested for "stealing" it[[/spoiler]].
- Walter Burns in His Girl Friday, editor of the Morning Post and Hildy's ex-husband. Among other things, he lies about another reporter's wife giving birth to twins to create a vacancy, frames her new fiancee for three crimes in one day, and has her mother-in-law kidnapped to push Hildy into covering a hanging on the eve of her wedding. And remarry him, but that's a secondary focus.
- Mike Tarkanian in The Great Muppet Caper. A standard-issue gruff editor in looks and attitude, he chews out and nearly fires Kermit and Fozzie from the Daily Chronicle after they miss a spectacular jewel heist taking place right behind them that every other paper covered. He only gives them another chance when they offer to go to London and catch the thieves personally.
- Oliver Stone in Nothing Sacred, who banishes his star reporter Wallace Cook to the obituary column at the beginning when a story about a prince turns out to be a hoax. Cook telling him about Hazel Flagg, a woman dying of radium poisoning (or so they think), and Stone's decision to let Cook pursue the story, is what drives the plot.
- Lawrence Nolan, in Our Miss Brooks. He's authoritarian, but more of a stuffed shirt rather than stereotypically gruff.
- In The Paper, Bernie White (Robert Duvall) is the grizzled editor-in-chief of The New York Sun, who has put his work first at the expense of his family. Metro editor Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) loves his job but worries that his life is headed in the same direction as Bernie's.
- Clem's unnamed editor in the Frank Capra film The Power of the Press is the standard-issue gruff, barking editor. He insults Clem's reporting skills and doesn't give him an assignment until he has no other choice, and he fires Clem when Clem tries to get him to yank the story to be nice to Mary. But he does back up Clem when Clem's rival Bill tries to steal the story.
- In Power of the Press, Griff Thompson is the hard-bitten managing editor of the New York Gazette. Initially only concerned with increasing circulation, he has a My God, What Have I Done? moment after an unsubstantiated story he runs at Rankin's urging results in a riot and a man's death, and then joins Bradford in his quest to clean up the Gazette.
- Kevin McMaxford in Spice World, who wants to bring the Spice Girls down. He gets extremely emotional, spitting when he rages, and causing a storm to happen in the office.
Kevin: Who's going to help me, Brad? (A storm rages, raining over him and Brad) Who's going to help me take on Girl Power, and bring it crashing and whimpering to the ground?
- Ben Bradlee Jr. as in Spotlight. Marty Baron, the Globe's new editor-in-chief, is a notable subversion.
- Mac Turner, editor of the tabloid Jack and Gil work for in Transylvania 6-5000, who sends them to Transylvania and tells them to come back with a story headlined "FRANKENSTEIN LIVES!" or don't bother coming back at all.
Literature
- Technically, William de Worde in Discworld books following The Truth should be this. In practice he refuses to give up being an Intrepid Reporter himself. And as Pterry says, since he invented journalism, who's going to tell him he's not supposed to? Later books refer to his apparent ability to write articles as if his bottom was stuffed with tweed despite still being a young man.
- Slapshots: Ms. Spiro is the school newspaper's faculty editor and repeatedly refuses to let Chipmunk print extra editions for important stories or criticize the local hockey league's efforts to sabotage and undermine their rivals.
- The Stranger Times is edited by Vincent Banecroft, who takes veritable pleasure in criticizing his staff (and their work). Though his delivery could use some work, his critiques actually improve paper.
- Whodunit Mysteries has Josh's editor at the Sentinel. He is loud and demanding in forcing him to go and dig up new info on stories.
Editor: Now get out there before I make you into the next big murder case!
Live-Action TV
- Burnistoun: The editor of The Burnistoun Herald is burly, bald and mustacioed. He's gruff and demanding of his subordinates, but he's also very dim, so his suggestions often don't make much sense.
- Donald Stern from The Chronicle. Basically Perry White merged with Zed from Men in Black.
- Mitchell Ellison in Daredevil (2015) is editor-in-chief of the New York Bulletin. In season 1, he clashes regularly with Ben Urich over what will sell papers. In season 2, he becomes a mentor to Karen Page as she digs into Frank Castle's past.
- Paris Geller during half the junior year in Gilmore Girls for the Yale Daily News; one of the rare examples where the staff overthrow her for being overly authoritarian.
- House of Cards (US) gives us Tom Hammerschmidt, managing editor at The Washington Herald until he gets fired as a result of using dirty language to insult Zoe Barnes. He then becomes a freelance reporter, and after a lengthy absence through seasons 2 and 3, returns in season 4 with the backing of the Herald to expose President Underwood's corrupt political activities.
- Tony Vincenzo, editor for the Independent News Service (a wire service), and Carl Kolchak's immediate boss in Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
- Perry White of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is the tough, occasionally shouty editor of the Daily Planet.
- Lou Grant, of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off Lou Grant. Moreso in the latter, where he's the editor of a newspaper; in Mary Tyler Moore he's the producer of a local news broadcast.
- Cameron Foster, editor of the Herald, in State of Play, doesn't shout at his reporters, but he otherwise fulfills this character trope in both exhorting his reporters (especially Cal McCaffrey), and protecting them when the big story they're working on — who really killed Sonia Baker, aide (and lover) to MP Stephen Collins — threatens to get shut down.
- Season three of Stranger Things introduces Tom Holloway, the editor of The Hawkins Post who mistreats the intern Nancy in a condescending, sexist manner alongside the rest of the paper's staff. In a case of Laser-Guided Karma, the thing that Nancy was trying to investigate, only for Tom and the staff to blow her off, winds up being the thing that kills Tom and his co-worker Bruce, as they get possessed by the Mind Flayer and ultimately get dissolved into its physical form.
- Tokyo Vice: Jake's editor at the Japanese newspaper is a scorchingly racist misanthrope who calls him a gaijin to his face while yelling at and humiliating him. The problem is that his editor is usually right about what he's angry about.
- Too Close for Comfort: In the Ted Knight Show-era episodes (from 1986), main protagonists Henry and Muriel Rush are part-owners of the Marin Bugler, a weekly newspaper. Ted is the editor and Muriel is a photographer.
Music
- Eminem frequently depicted Source Magazine editor-in-chief Ray Benzino as a particularly nasty version of this trope; in Eminem's songs, Benzino is a repulsive, unhygienic tyrant willing to stoop to any muckraking low to assuage his ego, using his publication to smear anyone he has a beef with so he won't have to confront them in person, and having such an obsessive hatred of Eminem that just seeing him on TV is enough to send him into a blood-boiling rage. This even applies aesthetically, with the Benzino in Eminem's songs being shown smoking heavily with his sleeves rolled up, sat in a swivel chair behind a desk and barking orders at his employees.
Video Games
- The Bonga Bugle editor in Final Fantasy Tactics A2 combines this with Miles Gloriosus, bragging about his physical prowess but frequently requiring your protection—then making himself out to be the hero in the resulting news reports.
- One of your phone messages in Lighthouse: The Dark Being is from this. Your character is an Intrepid Reporter who's run out of ideas, and your editor is frustrated that you haven't answered his calls or shown him any of your work.
- Murder in the Alps: Sven Lange, the editor of the Zürich magazine Eure Tages, is the protagonist Anna Myers' demanding boss featured in Part 3.
- Akiyoshi Zaizen in Our Two Bedroom Story is the chief editor over several publications at the protagonist's workplace, responsible for keeping the various difficult personalities of his employees in line. He's strict and stern enough that the protagonist and her colleagues have nicknamed him "the Growler."
Webcomics
- Harold Harvey Henson in Ciem: The Human Centipede, who's the station owner of Channel 26 in Dirbine. Subverted in that he's very wishy-washy and optimistic, and treats his staff a lot more kindly than they deserve.
Western Animation
- Pablo plays this role in The Backyardigans episode "Front Page News!".
- The Captain Caveman shorts on The Flintstone Comedy Show featured Lou Granite, editor-in-chief of The Daily Granite.
- Diamond Tiara in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic plays this role when she's appointed editor-in-chief of the school paper in "Ponyville Confidential".
- The director of the Channel 6 news team, Burne Thompson, in the '80s/'90s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. His somewhat fluctuating attitude towards the Turtles and constant pestering of his underlings for news stories led to April occasionally being at odds with him.
- Lois Lane is portrayed this way on the school newspaper "The Daily Planetoid" in DC Super Hero Girls 2019, complete with '40s style jargon and an ambitious work ethic.
