Journalists are everywhere in fiction. Here are 20 of the most iconic.

It’s no wonder that journalists show up so often in fiction. They are the truth-seekers, the villain-uncoverers, the ones willing to put themselves on the line for the sake of the story. They’re the ones who tell the story.

Journalists combine the curiosity of classic detectives with the daring spirit of adventure heroes. Think: Nancy Drew meets Indiana Jones.

Some of the journalists on this list are impressive. Some are enviable. Others are just downright absurd. All of them, though, are totally iconic.

Lois Lane & Clark Kent, “Superman” (2025)

Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) interviews Clark Kent (David Corenswet) in “Superman.” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

I know there’s discourse surrounding the absurdity of Clark Kent thinking that slapping a pair of glasses on his face is enough to preserve his anonymity as Superman, but really, what’s the alternative here? Conduct interviews as an investigative reporter for the Daily Planet while wearing a ski mask? It’s not like he can show up in his Superman suit and cape to question Lex Luthor at LexCorp HQ. Meanwhile, Lois Lane reports for the Daily Planet with integrity and vigor. The scene in which she interviews Kent as Superman while sitting on his living room sofa is iconic in so many ways. Lane pulls no punches, interrogating him about the legality of his vigilantism and pressing him on the consequences of his actions. Did he get the president’s approval to intervene in Jarhanpur? Could forcing the president of Boravia up against a cactus in the middle of a desert be classified as torture? Kent loses his cool a bit, sure. But can we blame him? He’s no match for the fierce reporting of Lois Lane.

Andy Sachs & Miranda Priestly, “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” (2026)

Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in “The Devil Wears Prada.” (20th Century Studios)

Miranda Priestly is the icon of icons. She runs a tight ship at Runway, creating an ecosystem of fear and respect that keeps the magazine up to her own incredibly high standards. She has taste, she has power, and she has an impeccable wardrobe. More than anything, Priestly understands what the fashion people of the world want to read and see in print. Andy Sachs, meanwhile, could not have started out more different. Even though she worked for the paper as an undergrad at Northwestern, she was ill-prepared for the fast-paced and often baffling world of print magazines. Having the inscrutable Miranda Priestly as your boss is not for the faint of heart. Sachs’ courageous commitment to putting herself out there and paving her own path at Runway is admirable. Extra points for the fiery speech she gives at the beginning of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” about the importance of journalism.

Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, “Riverdale” (2017-2023)

Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) and Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) at their high school paper, the Blue and Gold. (The CW)

It takes more than guts to take on Riverdale’s murderers, crooks and cults, but Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones have got it down. For Cooper’s sake, let’s just not mention the time she used muscle relaxers as a DIY truth serum to drug jock (and grade-A awful guy) Chuck Clayton and interrogate him in a hot tub before attempting to smother him with maple syrup. I’m not here to judge, though. Every reporter has her quirks. As for Jones? No notes. 10/10. I actually enjoy his pretentious Truman Capote references. Running the Blue and Gold out of a dimly lit classroom at Riverdale High (complete with a corkboard connecting pictures of suspects with red string, of course), Cooper and Jones manage cheer practice, milkshake dates at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe and unhinged high school musical productions, yet still find the time to uncover secret drug rings and unmask Jason Blossom’s killer. Now that’s a grind! Remind me to never complain about my workload again.

Rory Gilmore & Paris Geller, “Gilmore Girls” (2000-2007)

Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and Paris Geller (Liza Weil) wear newspaper hats for the Yale Daily News initiation. (The WB)

Ah yes, the dream team. Dynamic reporting duo Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller graced not one but two school newsrooms — first Chilton’s The Franklin, then Yale’s iconic Yale Daily News. Gilmore’s unwavering work ethic and Geller’s feisty pursuit of the truth make for a chaotic yet extremely productive newsroom. Gilmore may not have become the next Christiane Amanpour, but doing a profile on her former English teacher and her mom’s ex-fiancé took courage. (And as for Geller, assigning Gilmore a profile on her former English teacher and her mom’s ex-fiancé took a special kind of deviousness.) Now, if only Geller could’ve prevented Rory from dropping out of Yale.

Carrie Bradshaw, “Sex and the City” (1998-2004)

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in “Sex and the City.” (HBO)

Oh, Carrie Bradshaw. She inspired a generation of fashion-minded girls to pursue their magazine dreams — and look chic while doing it. Her deep insights and fierce wit truly made her sex-and-relationships column in The New York Star shine. Using her late-night sessions bemoaning the inadequacy of New York City’s men with her girls over sushi as fodder for the next morning’s paper? That’s the definition of turning lemons into lemonade. Or, in Bradshaw’s case, turning oranges, limes and cranberries into an ice-cold Cosmopolitan. And then, of course, there’s this quote: “When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more.” It doesn’t get more iconic than that.

Rita Skeeter, the Harry Potter series

Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson) interviews Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) during the Triwizard Tournament. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

OK, I said iconic, not ethical. Or, like, good. But Rita Skeeter’s reporting certainly sent some shock waves through the Wizarding World. Who could forget her baffling interrogation of Harry during the Triwizard Tournament? Or her painfully sensational articles in the Daily Prophet about everything from Harry’s parents to Dumbledore’s past? Or that dreaded quill? I mean, she entirely makes up quotes. That’s one of the biggest faux pas in journalism. Not to mention her habit of transfiguring herself into a beetle so she could literally bug her sources without their knowledge. It’s no wonder Hermione Granger trapped her in a jar.

Peter Parker, “Spider-Man” (2002)

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) in “Spider-Man.” (Sony Pictures)

Is he the best journalist of all time? No. But hey, every superhero needs a day job, and Peter Parker’s role as a freelance photographer pays the bills and gives him enough flexibility to chase villains through the night. You have to hand it to him — turning in exclusive action shots of yourself as your superhero alter ego to get a job at a newspaper is … kind of iconic.

J. Jonah Jameson, “Spider-Man” (2002)

J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) in “Spider-Man.” (Sony Pictures)

“They’re crap. Crap, crap, mega crap,” J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, says when Peter Parker hands him the aforementioned action shots. Still, he shells out $300 to buy them and slaps them on the front page of the next day’s paper. You’ve got to respect his commitment to maintaining his bullying persona. Deciding to label Spider-Man as a public menace rather than a hero was a choice, but it definitely sold some papers! (Also, this guy is still causing trouble, even in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man universe. Was it really necessary to broadcast Mysterio doxxing Spider-Man on live television? It absolutely was not. I kind of love his vibe, though. He’s really the ultimate hater of the multiverse.)

Gossip Girl, “Gossip Girl” (2007-2012)

Gossip Girl sends out a post to the teens of Manhattan. (The CW)

Can Gossip Girl, the salacious mystery blogger who torments the high school elite of Manhattan, even be counted as a journalist? The jury’s out. But in our age of social media journalism, I find Gossip Girl to be way ahead of her time and totally industrious, if you think about it. How many teens did she have running around the streets of Manhattan, snapping covert photos at galas and brunches and art galleries? That’s practically a media enterprise. Imagine trying to keep up with the ups and downs of adolescent relationships without Instagram and TikTok! I mean, back then the fastest way to spread juicy gossip was to send text blasts to the BlackBerrys of teens across the Upper East Side. Talk about a hustle!

Nancy Wheeler, “Stranger Things” (2016-2025)

Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) at the Hawkins Post. (Netflix)

Look, living in Hawkins, Indiana, isn’t easy. On top of all the mysterious supernatural happenings around town (demogorgons and demodogs and demobats, oh my!), Hawkins residents also have to contend with shady governments and sinister science experiments. Oh, and a painfully misogynistic local newsroom in The Hawkins Post. But Nancy Wheeler doesn’t let that stop her from uncovering the truth about Hawkins Lab. Should she have defied her boss’s direct orders and interviewed the emotionally and physically fragile old Mrs. Driscoll about the rats in her basement? Probably not. Was it wrong (not to mention creepy) to pretend to be Mrs. Driscoll’s granddaughter so she could sneak into her hospital room and question her while she was on life support? OK, sure. But hey, all in pursuit of the truth, am I right? Out of everyone bending the rules in Hawkins, Wheeler isn’t high on my list of concerns. Plus, it’s thanks to her excellent sleuthing skills that Barb is avenged and Vecna’s identity is revealed. I’m willing to let a few missteps slide. (R.I.P. Mrs. Driscoll).

Gale Weathers, “Scream” franchise

Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) in “Scream” (1996). (Woods Entertainment)

There are some people you root for in movies and others you quite literally want to reach through the screen and strangle. For most of the first “Scream” movie, my feelings toward Gale Weathers were closer to the latter. She was annoying. She was opportunistic. And she always showed up at exactly the wrong time. When she first arrived in Woodsboro, she was eager to unravel the murder of Sidney Prescott’s mother. She was willing to do whatever it took for the juiciest scoop, including flirting with cops to get information, secretly recording a high school party and repeatedly exploiting a teen girl’s grief. (I would’ve punched her too, Sidney!) Even though her methods are often callous, Weathers winds up one of the good ones. It turns out that a fearless, cocky, fame-seeking reporter is exactly the right person to go up against a deranged serial killer. Having your “final girl” be a journalist is just so fitting. Ghostface is no match for a woman with a microphone and a high-tech van. (I just watched the most recent installment of the franchise and was pleasantly surprised to find that good ol’ Gale Weathers is still ticking. Must be that journalistic grit that’s kept her alive all these years!)

Sam Sparks, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (2009)

Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) in “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” (Columbia Pictures)

Senior food-weather correspondent? Sign. Me. Up! Sam Sparks really hit the jackpot with this gig. From covering the bland and predictable weather at the Weather News Network to becoming the go-to reporter for all of Swallow Falls’ edible elements and consumable climates, Sparks is adaptable, lively and trustworthy — someone you’re excited to see on your screen. She’s the perfect field reporter! Granted, that field is often made up entirely of ice cream, but I’ll classify that as dangerous terrain, like Antarctica. I appreciate how, after the FLDSMDFR (Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator) went haywire, she covered the dark side of the food apocalypse — the gluttony, the waste, the giant, man-eating rotisserie chickens! She even faced anaphylactic shock because she was so committed to the story.

Cat Grant, “Supergirl”

Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) in “Supergirl.” (The CW)

This media mogul founded CatCo Worldwide Media. Cat Grant practically created Supergirl when she published a story about how the alien heroine saved Flight 237 from crashing. Like J. Jonah Jameson, she can be snappy and cruel at times. In fact, she could give Miranda Priestly a run for her money. When she hires Kara Danvers (aka Supergirl) as her personal assistant, she pulls absolutely no punches. Personally, I think her short fuse and demanding personality are totally understandable given the pressures of living in a world where superheroes and supervillains exist. But ultimately, Grant turns out to be a fantastic boss. She’s smart, insightful and sharp. She mentors Danvers and directly contributes to her becoming the best journalist (and hero) she can be.

Dr. John Watson, “Sherlock” (2010-2017)

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) in “Sherlock.” (BBC)

OK, so he’s technically a doctor, but can’t a man have a hobby? The blog that Dr. John Watson uses to chronicle the adventures of a certain deerstalker-wearing, violin-playing, pipe-smoking detective is nothing short of remarkable. What a talent for narrative! For character! For pacing! For tension! It’s true crime at its finest. If they ever do a “Sherlock” reboot (which they really shouldn’t — the BBC one was brilliant), I’d love to see Watson running a podcast out of 221B Baker Street. What makes his diligent reporting all the more impressive is that Watson himself often plays a role in unraveling Sherlock’s mysteries, leaning into his journalistic inclinations to uncover clues and question witnesses. (Pulling rank on a junior officer at Baskerville Military Base to help Sherlock get in was ingenious.) Watson is committed to sharing the intricate inner workings of Sherlock Holmes’ dazzling mind with the citizens of London, and we thank him for it.

Iris West, “The Flash” (2014-2023)

Iris West (Candice Patton) in “The Flash.” (The CW)

It can’t be easy to report in a city where metahumans are running amok, but Iris West never lets that get in her way. In fact, she often runs right into danger for the sake of the story and in pursuit of the truth. She really has prime access to what’s happening in Central City. Her dad is the police chief! She dated another police chief! Her best friend is the Flash!  Actually, points off for not catching on sooner that her best friend is the Flash.

Poppy Wright, “People We Meet on Vacation” (2026)

Poppy Wright (Emily Bader) in “People We Meet on Vacation.” (Netflix)

Poppy Wright is living the dream. A travel writer for Rest & Relaxation Magazine, she trots around the globe on her company’s dime, slurping daiquiris in New Orleans and eating grapes in Tuscany. And she gets to do all of it with her best friend (and possible soulmate) by her side. You wouldn’t find me complaining about a cushy job that pays me to fly to exotic places. I guess I’ll cut her some slack. She was heartsick, after all.

What do you think of our list? Do you agree, disagree or think we left a deserving fictional reporter out? Let us hear from you at news@poynter.org.