The Newsroom: Forcing Liberal Ideologies on America

The pilot episode of HBO’s The Newsroom set high expectations as a result of the opening scene when it released on June 24^th, 2012. The show has drawn much of its early attraction from the risks Aaron Sorkin, the creator of the show, was willing to take regarding coverage of what he believes to be a no-nonsense form of news. By doing this, Aaron has created not only a show that takes risks with their style, but also challenges current ideologies regarding politics and news coverage. Although some believe this takes away from the overall quality of the show, The Newsroom has shown many stylistic characteristics that make it worthy of being called an HBO program.

The Newsroom is one of the first shows of it’s kind in the fact that the show draws from real life events including politics, economics, and human interest stories. From the second episode on, Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) makes a commitment to bring the public news based “on the simple truth” in what they call “Newsnight 2.0”. Although this would seem to give the idea that the crew would be providing an unbiased opinion, the show gives a false sense of objectivity in the fact that the writers of the show can choose what topics they would like discussed, and which should be left out. The largest majority of television critics found flaws with this style and were quick to point it out.

Throughout the first season, the news team is constantly criticizing the Tea Party, even going as far as to call the Tea Party “The American Taliban” at the end of the first season. White House Correspondent for ABC News Jake Tapper was quick to state, “they extol the Fourth Estate’s democratic duty, but they believe that responsibility consists mostly of criticizing Republicans.” Trevor Burrus goes on to say, “If [Aaron Sorkin] wants to portray smart, honest, hard-working people turning journalism back into an antacid for our partisan-induced ulcers, then he should make more of an effort to be a non-partisan researcher.”

With the critics agreeing that The Newsroom tends to lean to the left, what does this mean for anyone tuning in? For the vast majority of us watching the show without thinking critically, this ideology based on heavy liberal viewpoints can be a major influencer of how we view our government, as well as the world in general. For example, in Season two, Jim Harper begins to follow the bus tour for Mitt Romney, and continues to hound the leader of the bus tour for answers to problems in Romney’s policies, though though show fails to point out some of Romney’s better ideas. Even though the election is long over, it can still make people stop and think about why they voted for him in the first place and possibly rethink what they need to think about in the future.

Even with the ideologies that are constantly set forth throughout the show, Sorkin and the rest of the writers and actors have still made this into a memorable HBO show. This can be seen with the different lighting styles, love and lust filled episodes that define HBO programming, as well as the ongoing drama that brings you back for more.

One of the signature ways to tell the workplace apart from everywhere else is by looking at the lighting. If you watch the video below, it is easy to see that the dark orange lighting is adding to the mood by making it feel much more personal and enclosed. This can be continually seen in almost any bar scene throughout the show.  Much like in the way that sitcoms use an establishing shot to show the next location, this sense of lighting automatically gives us clues into where we have just moved.

As discussed in class, one of the best ways to add emotion to a scene besides lighting and camera work is through the use of music. The use of music is definitely not at the forefront of the show, but rather an accompanying piece used only during times when it is needed most. One of my favorite moments in the show is actually a portrayal of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. This clip is what I believe (from what I know about broadcasting) to be one of the most realistic, and yet most emotional scenarios that I can imagine. The song “Fix You” by Coldplay really plays up the sense of emotion that is going into this, and even re-watching for about the tenth time, I still found myself tearing up. This is why even when music is not often used, that makes it that much more important when it is used.

Whether you like dramas, politics, or sitcoms, The Newsroom contains it all. As season 3 approaches, it will be interesting to see whether Aaron Sorkin will change his opinionated writing style or not. With the addition of an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama going to Jeff Daniels, it is likely that this show will just continue to rise. No matter what direction the show decides to take, I truly believe that The Newsroom has the potential to be one of the greatest and most influential shows of our time.

Works Cited

Burrus, Trevor. "Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom: One-Sided Politics Will Not Save Us from Politics." Cato Institute. Huffington Post, 26 July 2012. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

Tapper, Jake. "The Snoozeroom." New Republic. The New Repubic, 22 June 2012. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

Weingus, Leigh. "Jeff Daniels Emmys 2013: 'Newsroom' Star Wins Best Actor In A Drama." The 

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Sept. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.