Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom on HBO

[squeekness]

I've loved this show from the first episode. Glad my friend talked me into watching it.

 

[runawayboulder]

This episode was kinda meh to me. The Bin Laden ep was a little bit of a let down too. This show is a roller-coaster in quality from episode to episode.

 

[El Bastardo]

Good episode probably the most engaging so far for me.

Liked Charlie and the NSA guys The Dark Knight reference.

Maggie's speech about God talking to Michele Bachmann was pretty spot on.

I think Murdoch's online, televison news and print news divison are going to be after Sorkin's ass after the James Murdoch references.

"Just a few minutes ago you were Morgan Freeman."

 

[Matt]

This episode was kinda meh to me. The Bin Laden ep was a little bit of a let down too. This show is a roller-coaster in quality from episode to episode.

I think it is unfair to judge this episode a sa standalone as it is a two parter. That said, I dug it.

 

[runawayboulder]

I think it is unfair to judge this episode a sa standalone as it is a two parter. That said, I dug it.

I disagree.

Single comic book issues that are part of an event are judged all the time. The same goes for a movie that's part of a trilogy.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I totally dug this week's episode. It gets bonus points for the TDK reference. But I especially love how this show isn't afraid to tackle so many important issues, from wire-tapping to the sensationalism over the Casey Anthony trial and the Weiner scandal.

I just wish they would cut out some of the soap opera stuff. I don't mind the love triangle thing with Jim, Maggie and Don, and the past history with Mackenzie and Will... I just wish it wasn't constantly being thrown in the audience's face. I mean seriously... plenty of us have had relationship with co-workers but if we focused on it as much as they do, no one would ever get anything done.

 

[chamber-music]

I like Lisa alot more after this episode

 

[Sebastos]

Going to have to catch the rerun as I missed last night's episode. First one I missed which says alot...

 

[AnneFan]

I'm loving this series, the pilot hooked me straight away. Jeff Daniels is excellent and I'm liking the rest of the cast.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

Maybe I missed something, but did those people at that Network really think their debate format would get a green light from the RNC and their candidates for President and actually happen, or did they intentionally blow it to make some kind of statement? They made a big deal out of doing the sensationalist news stories to get their ratings up so they could get this debate for their network and then they pretty much sabotage it. I found that kind of hilarious.

 

[runawayboulder]

I like Lisa alot more after this episode

I think she's kinda hot.

As for the episode itself, I thought it rebounded better from part 1. I keep lamenting on it all the time but the episode to episode quality is so uneven.

 

[The Apocalypse]

Maybe I missed something, but did those people at that Network really think their debate format would get a green light from the RNC and their candidates for President and actually happen, or did they intentionally blow it to make some kind of statement? They made a big deal out of doing the sensationalist news stories to get their ratings up so they could get this debate for their network and then they pretty much sabotage it. I found that kind of hilarious.

Well, Will and the guy who was accompanying the RNC guy were good friends so I'm pretty he thought they'd be able to get the debate along with the fact they wanted AWN to host it. I guess Will didn't factor in the chance of the RNC guy being a hard ass.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

I'm finding this show really hard to stay engaged with. The 'news' elements are largely farcical and soap boxy, which I wouldn't mind if the character development were as strong as it was in West Wing. I love Wil McAvoy's character but all the women are frustrating (except occasionally Sloan) and there are two many incidental, nothing characters like Neil around.

I actually work in a Newsroom too, so I find it really hard to stomach the way they go on and on about making real 'news'. Most of what they do ISN'T news, but is in fact highly editorialised. The news isn't about opinions at all and I find it hard to accept the premise that they're 'fixing' the news when really, they're doing editorialised investigative reporting.

What they are doing is more akin to an indepth current affairs show, which is fine, but Sorkin seems so vague in his understanding of the media that he's mashing different concepts together.

Also, most of the drama is completely unrelated to the premise of the show... I mean, Lisa storming into the Newsroom and yelling at Jim about Valentines Day? They'd been on 4 dates, no one cares about Valentines day and it was just a distraction from the rest of the Egypt stuff, which was actually interesting.

I mean, there is enough drama in a Newsroom in real life that Sorkin could easily write about, if he did a little more research, that he doesn't need to fall back on such tired old television plot cliches.

I'm really hoping the news of him hiring media consultants for the next season means we can get more refined writing.

 

[squeekness]

Maybe I missed something, but did those people at that Network really think their debate format would get a green light from the RNC and their candidates for President and actually happen, or did they intentionally blow it to make some kind of statement? They made a big deal out of doing the sensationalist news stories to get their ratings up so they could get this debate for their network and then they pretty much sabotage it. I found that kind of hilarious.

Shame of it is that that would have been a real interesting debate to have seen if it had actually happened.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Yeah, I do agree that all of the relationship soap opera crap is really annoying. I'm not saying they need to completely cut it out of the story, but it's so in-your-face that it becomes distracting and at times, makes the characters appear completely incompetent or unprofessional. And given that they're trying be the "real" news, I feel that these cheesy elements kind of undermine the entire concept of the show.

As for whether what they are reporting on is real news or editorial, I guess I can see both sides of the argument... most news outlets these days are biased one way or the other anyway, but I guess what Sorkin is trying to show here is that real news, whether opinionated or not, goes after the issues that are or could really affect the nation and the world--even the stuff that makes people uncomfortable to talk about--rather than fluff like TMZ or just blatant political propaganda (FOX).

 

[Shifty]

I actually work in a Newsroom too, so I find it really hard to stomach the way they go on and on about making real 'news'. Most of what they do ISN'T news, but is in fact highly editorialised. The news isn't about opinions at all and I find it hard to accept the premise that they're 'fixing' the news when really, they're doing editorialised investigative reporting.


I'm really hoping the news of him hiring media consultants for the next season means we can get more refined writing.

Also don't you find them to be the luckiest newsroom ever?

At least one staff has some key connection to the story of the week.

Maggie's roomate going to school with Casey Anthony from the last two episodes.

Jim's sources in the pilot that no other news organization had.

Neal knowing the blogger in Egypt.

Mac's boyfriend pitched a story about the government's inability to prosecute financial crimes.

Sloan and the Japanese nuclear crisis.

They were all at a party on a Sunday night when bin Laden was killed, making it easier for everyone to get to work together.

They were working on the Saturday afternoon when Gabby Giffords was shot.

I know it doesn't take too long for a anchor like Will to come into the studio when major news breaks and people have sources but they're stretching it already after one season.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

So incredibly true. I think using real events was a huge mistake too. It's like a cheap way to show how 'good' they are by showing them make the right calls on things that have already happened, like everyone else in real life got it all wrong

 

[Marvolo]

So incredibly true. I think using real events was a huge mistake too. It's like a cheap way to show how 'good' they are by showing them make the right calls on things that have already happened, like everyone else in real life got it all wrong

Well... they are getting it wrong in real life. The major news corporations in this country are corrupt, biased, cancerous, proaganda machines. It does give the show a chance to say things the media and news is too cowardly or self preserving to say. Heck part of the reason why I watch this show is because its nice seeing important stories and ideas actually shown in a more true light even if it is in a dramatized setting.

 

[John Locke]

That was a great episode and season.

 

[Marvolo]

Yeah, it was a great start for the show. I'll definitely be adding it to my collection.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

Well... they are getting it wrong in real life. The major news corporations in this country are corrupt, biased, cancerous, proaganda machines. It does give the show a chance to say things the media and news is too cowardly or self preserving to say. Heck part of the reason why I watch this show is because its nice seeing important stories and ideas actually shown in a more true light even if it is in a dramatized setting.

But it's so easy to look at something in hindsight and how you can do the PERFECT job of telling the news, especially since as was pointed out, the only time they do anything better than the other news counterparts, it's due to an incredibly lucky source or interview talent close to the show, like Lisa knowing Casey Anthony, Jim having TWO BP sources, Charlie getting the insider, it's all fluke.

And the rest of it goes COMPLETELY against the idea of the show, that is FACTS and INFORMING THE NATION. Newsnight ends up doing something highly editorial that quite simply, ISN'T news. One of the main problems with the American News networks is that there is no national news provider, all the networks are commercial, which means every news network is just competing, loud voices and Newsnight 2.0 is just another one of those voice.

If they REALLY cared about doing real news, that's simply all they'd do. But what they are doing seems more akin to Current Affairs or investigative Journalism, in which case their scope is SO minimal. There should be reporters spending a week putting a story together, they should have more freedom with the packages they run with and there should be a deeper analysis.


And I'm sorry, but the issues are not being shown in a true light at all. The Newsroom is the equivalent of a first year Media student yelling "Yeah, the media sucks! All politicians are liars! I have... THE TRUTH!".

 

[Marvolo]

But it's so easy to look at something in hindsight and how you can do the PERFECT job of telling the news, especially since as was pointed out, the only time they do anything better than the other news counterparts, it's due to an incredibly lucky source or interview talent close to the show, like Lisa knowing Casey Anthony, Jim having TWO BP sources, Charlie getting the insider, it's all fluke.

And the rest of it goes COMPLETELY against the idea of the show, that is FACTS and INFORMING THE NATION. Newsnight ends up doing something highly editorial that quite simply, ISN'T news. One of the main problems with the American News networks is that there is no national news provider, all the networks are commercial, which means every news network is just competing, loud voices and Newsnight 2.0 is just another one of those voice.

If they REALLY cared about doing real news, that's simply all they'd do. But what they are doing seems more akin to Current Affairs or investigative Journalism, in which case their scope is SO minimal. There should be reporters spending a week putting a story together, they should have more freedom with the packages they run with and there should be a deeper analysis.


And I'm sorry, but the issues are not being shown in a true light at all. The Newsroom is the equivalent of a first year Media student yelling "Yeah, the media sucks! All politicians are liars! I have... THE TRUTH!".

You do realize that months pass in between some episodes right? Two months passed between the penultimate and finale episodes. They aren't just reporting these big events. I'm sure they do smaller more mundane everyday news when things are slow or uneventful. We are being presented these big events like a clip show, because those create the most thrilling drama. Because those are the one's the show can say the most about. And because they only have ten episodes a season. And yes Sorkin is using this show to push through ideas that are gleamed from hindsight, but it isn't all exclusively hindsight. Some of the ideas Newsnight presents are ideas and evaluations that could and should have been presented when our own news networks reported them, but they didn't because they didn't want to upset anyone.

This is a fantasy drama. It has its flaws, and its convenient coincidences, but that doesn't degrade or diminish the legitimate statements, evaluations, and ideas of current events. There has been more truth in the ideas presented in this show than I've seen in the media and news in a very long time. And I think you are missing the point of the show, and what Sorkin is trying to do with it.

And yes, the current news media is very flawed. It is very biased. And it fails on a substantial level. It doesn't report the news anymore. It wraps it in fear and ******** and then sells it to the masses so that it can fill its own pockets.

 

[Wolvieboy17]

I get the point of the show, I just don't think it's as effective as West Wing was, in terms of authenticity, political/media analysis and character development. It's easy to make the extreme right wing media and politicians look lazy and biased because they are. But as far as actually depicting the fast pace of a real newsroom, the REAL obstacles, the real drama that occurs and the actual editorial process, Sorkin fails.

His heart might be in the right place, but I don't think anyone who doesn't understand News at all (which he himself has admitted) has the right to cast any stones or presume they could could do a better job without making a substantial effort to understand it. The fact that Sorkin has depicted a Newsroom so far fetched makes me think authenticity isn't as important to him as standing on his soap box is, which is frustrating because he has some good things to say but he undermines himself with his inaccuracies.

 

[Marvolo]

I get the point of the show, I just don't think it's as effective as West Wing was, in terms of authenticity, political/media analysis and character development. It's easy to make the extreme right wing media and politicians look lazy and biased because they are. But as far as actually depicting the fast pace of a real newsroom, the REAL obstacles, the real drama that occurs and the actual editorial process, Sorkin fails.

His heart might be in the right place, but I don't think anyone who doesn't understand News at all (which he himself has admitted) has the right to cast any stones or presume they could could do a better job without making a substantial effort to understand it. The fact that Sorkin has depicted a Newsroom so far fetched makes me think authenticity isn't as important to him as standing on his soap box is, which is frustrating because he has some good things to say but he undermines himself with his inaccuracies.

I know there are inaccuracies, and that no newsroom is run like this. Its a romanticized view of the newsrooms. For me personally it doesn't take away from any truths or anything he is saying. He is using the show as a vehicle to deliver ideas, and make statements. The vehicle isn't that important to me. The ideas are, and I agree with alot of the ideas Sorkin is presenting. This makes me somewhat biased towards the show, but I still find truths in this show that I really wish the news media would present so until they do that this show will be an escape into a world where someone actually has the balls to stand up to the news media and corporations and report the news the way it should be. When Will's character is at that desk or just going against the ***** from the upper floor I get a smile. I guess you could say Will is like my batman.

One thing that I especially love about this show is the passion they've written into the characters. The love and belief in what they are doing. Its compelling stuff for me.

 

[Dr Lee]

brilliant play by the trio against the boss lady (i am so **** at remembering names)....and nice touch with the sorority girl