Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning Is a Brisk, Old-School Journalism Thriller

The Social Reckoning, a sequel to David Fincher's 2010 film The Social Network, is a brisk and engaging journalism thriller. The film, directed by Aaron Sorkin, delves into the story of how Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg facilitated the spread of extremist views ahead of the 2020 election, which contributed to the violent January 6 attack on the Capitol.

The narrative follows Wall Street Journal writer Jeff Horwitz (played by Jeremy Allen White), who receives secret help from a skeptical Facebook engineer, Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), as he uncovers Facebook's practices of promoting rage bait to boost engagement. Sorkin's film is a tribute to the enduring importance of thorough, ethical journalism, even in the digital age, presented in a dense but polished format that moves swiftly and captivates.