Thursday, December 5, 2013

The Newsroom

WE'VE BEEN WATCHING HBO's tremendous series, The Newsroom. If you have access to HBO, I recommend you watch it, too.

It's about a cable network news team. Yes, there is the soap opera "she likes him, he likes her, but they are going out with other people" thing. Yes, there are some glaringly silly lines and suspect plot twists. But the script follows real news issues and how the team tackles them, and I love the fact they go after the Tea Party and other people too big for their britches.

The show succeeds because the heroes are flawed. The anchor is played by Jeff Daniels, a fellow Central Michigan University alum and a great actor. It's not about making the right calls and flawlessly delivering the news. It's about bullying a fellow anchor, who then makes a huge mistake on the air when pressing for information. It's about getting loaded at a Sunday night party, then trying to deliver the news that night when the president is about to make a huge announcement.

Sam Waterson's character is absolutely brilliant. He was freaking made for this role. Rarely had a character completely sucked me in like his. I know several people just like him, and his portrayal of the newsroom patriarch rocks.

The show makes you think and it tends to jump around with timelines. It also deals with real life issues, and I'm finding myself relating with the decisions and consequences related to being a journalist.

Below is a clip showing how the news team deals with a real breaking issue. Any show that uses "Fix You" by Coldplay to soundtrack an event should win an Emmy, Grammy, Buckeye News Award, whatever. I love how the team decides to hold off reporting what later proves to be inaccurate information.

Warning ... there is some language. And it's very realistic. I've been there and gone through it, and this is what it's like.

It's interesting to watch others grapple with journalistic and ethical issues.

It's worth watching, if you have the time.


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