The Newsroom

The Newsroom

Aaron Sorkin once chronicled the daily work of the federal government in "The West Wing." In "The Newsroom," the Emmy-winning executive producer uses the operation of a fictional cable news network as the heart of the story, with Jeff Daniels portraying the network's lead anchor and leading an ensemble cast. Episodes are written around actual recent news events, reported by a staff that takes its collective responsibilities seriously, but corporate and commercial obstacles -- plus entangled personal relationships -- fly in the face of their public mission.

Year:
2012
11,445 Views

Alex Thacker:
The copy should have been assigned to me, but Gary assigned it to Stacey.

Don Keefer:
[to the HR rep] Once I give it to Gary, Gary gets to make that call.

Alex Thacker:
Based on merit, not based on who he prefers to sleep with at any particular moment.

Gary Cooper:
I'm not sleeping and I've never slept with Stacey.

Alex Thacker:
That may or may not be, but probably is a lie. [beat] What we know for sure is Gary flirted with me, hit on me, took me out five times, slept with me twice, and then dumped me in a pile with the rest of the staffers he's used for his pleasure.

Don Keefer:
I can't emphasize this enough. This is the new HR rep.

Alex Thacker:
And I'm fine with all of that.

Don Keefer:
So we're cool.

Wyatt Geary:
No.

Alex Thacker:
What I am not fine with is being passed over for an assignment at work because I exercised poor judgment in my personal life.

Gary Cooper:
I gave it to her because she's better at this kind of thing.

Alex Thacker:
What kind of thing?

Gary Cooper:
The intersection of pop culture and the Holocaust. That might sound crazy.

Don Keefer:
It did.

Gary Cooper:
Look, I've gone out with several of the women in this building.

Don Keefer:
Maybe you don't understand what HR does.

Alex Thacker:
You're saying Stacey is a better writer than I am?

Gary Cooper:
She's a different writer than you.

Alex Thacker:
Different? Like I'm tired of this one, so I'll try a different one?

Don Keefer:
I told Gary to give it to Stacey, all right? He is covering for me. I told him to give it to her because she is a better writer than you are.

Alex Thacker:
Well, what am I supposed to do?

Don Keefer:
Write better. That's it. Thank you both.

Taylor Warren:
I have a number of questions.

Jim Harper:
I'll try to answer them with the same detail and honesty you've always answered mine.

Aubrey Lyons:
What were you doing on a Sex and the City tour bus to begin with?

Jim Harper:
My girlfriend at the time liked the show and I was showing an interest in her interests.

Taylor Warren:
And Maggie didn't know you were on the bus when she shouted that she loved you?

Jim Harper:
That's not what she shouted.

Taylor Warren:
And she didn't know someone was filming it?

Jim Harper:
No.

Taylor Warren:
So it was kind of a gaffe?... Life and death and you guys can't get past "corporations are people".

Jim Harper:
How fast are we supposed to get past "Hispanics should self-deport" or "I'm not concerned with the very poor"?

Taylor Warren:
"There's a safety net there" was the end of that sentence, and plainly his concern is with the middle class.

Jim Harper:
The middle class are the very poor.

Aubrey Lyons:
The better point is we don't need clean air and water regulations. We don't need FEMA. We don't need antitrust laws. We don't need the IRS or the Department of Education or the Federal Reserve. We need freedom.

Neal Sampat:
What the f*** did you just say?

Aubrey Lyons:
If you listen to Ron Paul

Neal Sampat:
I have. He's a batty old crank who wrote instruction manuals on how to get away with shooting the black kid who's stealing your car. He's not Betty White.

Aubrey Lyons:
He didn't write those letters.

Neal Sampat:
Yes, he did. And then he signed them and then he charged money for them. So I don't give a sh*t if he wants to legalize weed. I can already dial the phone and have an ounce delivered to this table before the check comes.

Hallie Shea:
Then for God's sake do it.

Jim Harper:
The check will never come.

Taylor Warren:
They won't let Romney get his message out, either.

Jim Harper:
Someone should tell him if he wants to get his message out, he should consider appearing on a network where the entire audience isn't already voting for him and that if he's gonna be the businessman president, he should run on his business record instead of pretending he's never heard of it and that if faith is important to his good works and personal narrative, he shouldn't be afraid it'll creep us out.

Taylor Warren:
It's been suggested.

Jim Harper:
And?

Taylor Warren:
I was fired. I was fired tonight.

Will McAvoy:
This is News Night and that was a clip of Richard Clarke, former counterterrorism chief to President George W. Bush, testifying before Congress on March 24, 2004. Americans liked that moment. I liked that moment. Adults should hold themselves accountable for failure. And so tonight I'm beginning this newscast by joining Mr. Clarke in apologizing to the American people for our failure. The failure of this program during the time I've been in charge of it to successfully inform and educate the American electorate. Let me be clear that I don't apologize on behalf of all broadcast journalists, nor do all broadcast journalists owe an apology. I speak for myself. I was an accomplice to a slow and repeated and unacknowledged and unamended train wreck of failures that have brought us to now. I'm a leader in an industry that miscalled election results, hyped up terror scares, ginned up controversy, and failed to report on tectonic shifts in our country. From the collapse of the financial system to the truths about how strong we are to the dangers we actually face. I'm a leader in an industry that misdirected your attention with the dexterity of Harry Houdini while sending hundreds of thousands of our bravest young men and women off to war without due diligence. The reason we failed isn't a mystery. We took a dive for the ratings. In the infancy of mass communications, the Columbus and Magellan of broadcast journalism, William Paley and David Sarnoff, went down to Washington to cut a deal with Congress. Congress would allow the fledgling networks free use of taxpayer-owned airwaves in exchange for one public service. That public service would be one hour of air time set aside every night for informational broadcasting, or what we now call the evening news. Congress, unable to anticipate the enormous capacity television would have to deliver consumers to advertisers, failed to include in its deal the one requirement that would have changed our national discourse immeasurably for the better. Congress forgot to add that under no circumstances could there be paid advertising during informational broadcasting. They forgot to say that taxpayers will give you the airwaves for free and for 23 hours a day you should make a profit, but for one hour a night you work for us. And now those network newscasts, anchored through history by honest-to-God newsmen with names like Murrow and Reasoner and Huntley and Brinkley and Buckley and Cronkite and Rather and Russert - Now they have to compete with the likes of me. A cable anchor who's in the exact same business as the producers of Jersey Shore. And that business was good to us, News Night is quitting that business right now. It might come as a surprise to you that some of history's greatest American journalists are working right now, exceptional minds with years of experience and an unshakeable devotion to reporting the news. But these voices are a small minority now and they don't stand a chance against the circus when the circus comes to town. They're overmatched. I'm quitting the circus and switching teams. I'm going with the guys who are getting creamed. I'm moved that they still think they can win and I hope they can teach me a thing or two. From this moment on, we'll be deciding what goes on our air and how it's presented to you based on the simple truth that nothing is more important to a democracy than a well-informed electorate. We'll endeavor to put information in a broader context because we know that very little news is born at the moment it comes across our wire. We'll be the champion of facts and the mortal enemy of innuendo, speculation, hyperbole, and nonsense. We're not waiters in a restaurant serving you the stories you asked for just the way you like them prepared. Nor are we computers dispensing only the facts because news is only useful in the context of humanity. I'll make no effort to subdue my personal opinions. I will make every effort to expose you to informed opinions that are different from my own. You may ask who are we to make these decisions. We are Mackenzie McHale and myself. Miss McHale is our executive producer. She marshals the resources of over 100 reporters, producers, analysts, technicians, and her credentials are readily available. I'm News Night's managing editor and make the final decision on everything seen and heard on this program. Who are we to make these decisions? We're the media elite.

Sloan Sabbith:
Unless there's a rally...

MacKenzie McHale:
I'm sorry I've got to...

Sloan Sabbith:
Listen.

MacKenzie McHale:
Sloan...

Sloan Sabbith:
Unless there's a rally in the next 90 minutes,The Dow's gonna close down about 2.5%,S&P and NASDAQ will close down 2.3%,Let me tell you why.

MacKenzie McHale:
I don't own a lot of stock.

Sloan Sabbith:
Let me tell you why.

MacKenzie McHale:
I really can't.

Sloan Sabbith:
[shouting] Stop avoiding this!

Sloan Sabbith:
I just got off the phone with these guys. Listen to these quotes. These aren't from liberals. these are hardcore Wall-Street guys,Who whatever the world may think of them,Knows what they're talking about and so do I. Jamie Dimon atChase says, "Voting against raising the debt ceiling would be a moral disaster." The Barclays guys say "This debate is detached from reality." My Goldman source says "If the house Republicans continue this debate, I hope they're willing to mark the end of the dollar as a global reserve currency." Please notice he didn't say if the house republicans don't raise the debt ceiling. he said if the house republicans continue this debate. That's all it takes. Just the uncertainty. That's why the Dow's gonna close down 230 points today. Because just the debate,just the doubt,just the possibility that the House Majority might commit the most self-inflicted damage to the country since the secession of the south has caused billions in value to disappear.

MacKenzie McHale:
Sloan,I understand,I swear to God I do. But you can't say the same thing the C block?

Sloan Sabbith:
Don't pretend you don't know that most people watch 10 minutes of news. The first 10 minutes.

MacKenzie McHale:
The vote isn't until tomorrow night.and it's only the first vote.You said yourself it was cosmetic. Why do we have to feature it tonight?

Sloan Sabbith:
We should have been featuring it weeks ago. We should have been leading with it every night.

MacKenzie McHale:
Why do we have to feature it tonight?

Sloan Sabbith:
To give time for the people to call their congressmen and say "If you f*** with the full faith and credit of the US Treasury,You're fired." to give time for the people to jam the phone lines of the district offices. To give the people time to say, "I'm a fiscal conservative and you've got to put the pin back in the grenade right now." That's why.

MacKenzie McHale:
[pause] I'm gonna do everything I can.

Sloan Sabbith:
Please do.

Will McAvoy:
It's not the greatest country in the world, professor, that's my answer.

Moderator:
You're saying...

Will McAvoy:
Yes.

Moderator:
Let's talk about...

Will McAvoy:
Fine. Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paychecks, but he gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn't cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so f***in' smart, how come they lose so GODDAM ALWAYS!

Sharon:
Hey...

Will McAvoy:
[turns to Lewis] And with a straight face, you're going to tell students that America is so starspangled awesome that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, BELGIUM has freedom! Two hundred and seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom.

Moderator:
All right...

Will McAvoy:
And yeah, you... sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is: There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies. None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the f*** you're talking about! Yosemite?

Will McAvoy:
[pause] We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons, we passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

Will McAvoy:
[to moderator] Enough?

Jennifer Johnson:
Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?

Sharon:
Diversity and opportunity.

Moderator:
Lewis?

Lewis:
Freedom and freedom... so let's keep it that way.

Moderator:
Will?

Will McAvoy:
The New York Jets.

Moderator:
No, I'm going to hold you to an answer on that. What makes America the greatest country in the world?

Will McAvoy:
Well, Lewis and Sharon said it. Diversity and opportunity and freedom and freedom.

Moderator:
I'm not letting you go back to the airport without answering the question.

Will McAvoy:
Well, our Constitution is a masterpiece. James Madison was a genius. The Declaration of Independence is, for me, the single greatest piece of American writing... [Professor keeps staring] You don't look satisfied.

Moderator:
One's a set of laws and the other's a declaration of war. I want a human moment from you... what about the people? Why is America...

Will McAvoy:
It's not the greatest country in the world, professor. That's my answer.

Moderator:
You're saying...

Will McAvoy:
Yes.

Moderator:
Let's talk about...

Will McAvoy:
Fine. [Turns to Sharon] Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paycheck, but he [gestures to Lewis] gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn't cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Cause they lose. If liberals are so f***ing smart, how come they lose so god damn always?

Sharon:
Hey!

Will McAvoy:
[Turns to Louis] And with a straight face, you're gonna tell students that America is so star-spangled awesome that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The UK. France. Italy. Germany. Spain. Australia... Belgium! has freedom... 207 sovereign states in the world, like 180 of 'em have freedom.

Moderator:
Alright...

Will McAvoy:
[Looks at Jenny] And, yeah, you... sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know. One of them is: There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending - where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies. Now, none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the worst period generation period ever period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the F*** you're talking about!... Yosemite? [Stunned silence]... It sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws - for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great, big things, made ungodly technological advanced, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world's greatest artists AND the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn't belittle it. It didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed... by great men, men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

Will McAvoy:
Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paychecks, but he [gesturing to the conservative panelist] gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn't cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so f***in' smart, how come they lose so GODDAMN ALWAYS! And [to the conservative panelist] with a straight face, you're going to tell students that America's so star-spangled awesome that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom. Two hundred seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom. And you-sorority girl-yeah-just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is that there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies. None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt, a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the f*** you're talking about? Yosemite? [long pause] We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one-America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. [to the moderator] Enough?


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