Prior to Donald Trump’s focus on fabricated news reports, Stephen Glass—portrayed by Hayden Christensen—engaged in similar deception. This film centers on an inventive and driven individual who skillfully bypassed the verification procedures at "The New Republic," a respected magazine in Washington D.C., resulting in the publication of more than twenty lengthy pieces entirely lacking factual grounding. The situation began to unravel when an editor from another online publication questioned why his own reporter, Adam Peneberg (Steve Zahn), hadn't secured the same story, prompting detailed inquiries into Glass’s sources and exposing a web of invented details. As he continues to fabricate stories, his editor, Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), utilizes his own expertise in investigative reporting, placing Glass under increasing scrutiny. Christensen delivers a commendable performance—a description I don’t often use—and Billy Ray directs the film in a way that creates palpable tension as we experience the mounting pressure on this habitual journalistic fabricator. The willingness of even those close to him to accept his claims at face value, and their readiness to step down if he faces termination, highlights how much we rely on trust until confronted with undeniable evidence. It exceeded my initial expectations.

Source on TMDB