Has the HBO series "Newsroom" been influencing the media?

[Odd Won Out]

It seems like Chris Mathews has been more aggressive lately, and now I am watching Nora O'Donnell on "Face The Nation" trying very hard to get a straight answer from Paul Ryan.

I would love to see this HBO "tail" wag the dog.

[still_one]

1. CNN sure hasn't changed /nt

[Odd Won Out]

4. I can hear Wolf saying "Let's leave it there"

He is a sorry excuse for journalism. On the other hand, I thought Nora was pretty aggressive this morning. Maybe I am just hoping that the news media can be shamed into doing the right thing, however Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have been doing it for years with little result.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

23. IMO O'Donnell was exploiting a job opportunity this AM--Bob Schieffer was

out and she took the opportunity to impress top CBS execs with some aggressive questions you'd never hear from superannuated Schieffer. But, if she got the job, IMO she'd just as quickly learn to move back to her right. in order to keep it.

[Odd Won Out]

25. If that was O'Donnell's motivation,

that would imply that being a real journalist sells. I would be OK with that. Whatever it takes to get real news...

[Atman]

13. Yes they have.

Wolfe hasn't. But Soledad O'Brian has been kicking ass on her new morning show.

[still_one]

18. She was doing that more than the others before Newsroom /nt

[Odd Won Out]

21. I'll have to check out her show

Seeing real journalism on the teevee would be great.

I miss Walter Cronkite.

[ananda]

2. Can't say.

I don't watch MSM, and I've never seen Newsroom
though I'd like to.

[Odd Won Out]

6. The series a little hit and miss

Sometimes I find it a bit misogynist, but there is a lot of pretty good commentary on the sad state of network news.

[Scuba]

3. It's apparently affected a couple of individuals. The network owners, not so much.

[tabasco]

5. No, a TV show will not affect the agenda of the corporate media

It could only force them to become more deceitful.

[Odd Won Out]

8. You are probably right

Maybe I was searching for optimism in all the wrong places.

[Bjorn Against]

7. I think it may have influenced Soledad O'Brien

I saw some of NBC's coverage of the conventions and it does not seem to have effected them however, Tom Brokaw, David Gregory, Luke Russert and the rest of them are still all tools.

[Odd Won Out]

10. Good list of tools. I totally agree with your assessment.

I can see their silhouettes on a peg board to mark where they should be stored when they aren't making a mockery of their profession.

[Boxerfan]

9. Tweety's son is an actor on the show...

And yes-it has definitely lit a fire under a few seats...But only if they held a concience in the 1st place.

After all it sucks to watch a fictional character do your job better.

[Esse Quam Videri]

11. I didn't know that about Tweety's son

Which character does he play?

[Surya Gayatri]

34. Bit part--walk-on...

[Odd Won Out]

12. I thought that Tweety would be the perfect "Greater Fool"

He has the ego that is needed to play that role.

One of the first times that I saw Tweety was on the McLaughlin Group when he was talking about GHW Bush shortly after he threw up on a Japanese dignitary. Bush then went to a political rally in Mexico where tear gas was deployed. Tweety said that Bush didn't know when he should barf or cry...

That was funny.

Tweety loves to hear himself talk. Me too.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

27. imdb says Thomas Matthews was in all 10 episodes as 'Martin Stallworth'

(see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1870479/fullcredits ).

I've seen all 10 episodes, but that character's name never registered with me.

Does 'Martin Stallworth' ring any bells with anyone else?

[RockaFowler]

33. He played "Romney" in the Debate episode

That was the only way I remembered him

[grantcart]

14. Matthews, Soledad, and surprisingly Juan Williams seem to have a Newsroom bug.

[Odd Won Out]

15. Really? I have been reluctant to connect the dots. That's why I asked the question.

Maybe my hope to feel that they can be shamed into doing the right thing was just a fantasy.

Maybe not.

[grantcart]

16. I watched as Juan Williams called out the Romney campaign for playing the race card.

Karl Rove sitting next to him was even more astonished.

Juan came back and did something similar the next day but I can't remember the details.

I believe that for those journalists who entered the profession because of Watergate and see themselves as contributing to history Newsroom is a 'call to Jesus' or even better a call to Murrow moment.

[Odd Won Out]

19. Wow. Juan Williams would be that last person that I would think about doing the right thing

His trashing of PBS and joining FOX was the last time I ever watched him.

But is Newsroom the catalyst driving this reaction? And why haven't Stewart and Colbert had more of an influence?

On the other hand, I would have loved to see Rove crap his pants. I can't stand that can of Ham.

[grantcart]

31. This was the other incident the following day. No one else seemed to have seen the Rove exchange.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/29/juan-williams-stuns-fox-news-panel-ann-romney-just-a-corporate-wife/

I don't understand Williams, apparently Thurgood Marshall is Williams hero and he wrote this biography of him:


http://www.amazon.com/Thurgood-Marshall-Revolutionary-Juan-Williams/dp/0812932994

http://www.thurgoodmarshall.com/speeches/tmlaw_article.htm

[CoffeeCat]

17. Did you know that one of the Newsroom characters...

...was created with CNN reporter Christine Romans in mind? Sorkin admitted it during an interview. Romans said on her Facebook page that she was flattered.

I do think that Newsroom is influencing the media in a positive way. The show clearly spotlights what needs to be said--but is rarely said. I think the show shames the media and positions truth tellers and real journalists as heroes. It helps the media to aspire to what is right and decent--and truthful.

There are too many anchors, reporters and media personalities who only regurgitate talking points. There is no honor in that.

It's highly probably that this was Sorkin's intent. Smart man, if so.

[Odd Won Out]

20. Didn't know about Christine Romans.

Love the show, and am glad that it got renewed for another season.

Colbert's speech at the Correspondent's dinner in 2007 was pretty in-your-face critical of the media. Why didn't that have an impact?

[tridim]

28. Is that the Sloan character? She's my favorite.

Maggie is great too.

Hell, I love all the characters. It's really freaking good.

[CoffeeCat]

29. I think it's the Maggie character...

...that is based on Christine Romans.

[tridim]

42. Just looked it up.. It's Sloan, the economics reporter.

Maggie is pretty unique. If a Maggie existed in the real world I'd like to meet her.

I don't know what Jim is waiting for.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

30. At least one rumor has it that Will McAvoy is Keith Olbermann,

with a little Chris Matthews and literary license thrown in:

From http://media.about.com/od/mediatrends/p/The-Newsroom-On-Hbo.htm :

"The Newsroom on HBO
By Glenn Halbrooks, About.com Guide

The Newsroom is rumored to be loosely based on cable TV's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Sorkin was shadowing Olbermann during the 2010 BP oil spill, which is the news event that is highlighted in the pilot episode.

Sorkin also researched Chris Matthews and his show Hardball when preparing to write The Newsroom. In fact, Matthews' son Thomas portrays a News Night staffer on The Newsroom.

Margaret Judson, who plays Tess Westin on The Newsroom, was working as a production assistant on Keith Olbermann's show when Aaron Sorkin began his research."

[Iggo]

22. It lit a fire under Tweety, that's for sure.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. Nope and I will tell you why...

ACCESS... media at all levels is afraid of pissing off the important people and losing access. This is what scares them the most. No access, no story, so they tell me.

So yes, the corporations, not just those who own the media, as well as politicians, run rough shot over media.

We had a perfect example of this in a local story last night. And what should have been a simple they had a fire at a facility and they have their own fire brigade, (that is what got us rolling, what do you mean the utility has their own fire brigade?) has become something else. That is because my editor is not worried about ruffling a few feathers when it comes to energy companies. Yup, a story I need to write today. And since it is not truly breaking nooz right now, but how a public utility plays the game...I will take a little more time with it, including more than my usual breaking nooz edits.

But the other channels who were there, partly due to the company lack of PR, will not touch the they tried to squash media and first amendment rights.

So if you think that this will change... not until media at all levels decide to stop playing that game and decide instead to actually ruffle feathers. It used to be that way... in the age of muckraking journalism. But most of it is gone, will come back, I guarantee it. Partly the net is making it easier for people to run nooz sites... but partly... pay attention here... pay in journalism is crashing. Muckrackers were working poor people who identified with the workers they covered. These days the news bunnies are paid fairly well, and have internalized the values of the corporations and the well to do. As pay continues to crash... that will change. And it will probably lead to a more agressive sort of journalsim. This scares them, the powerful that is, like crazy.

There is a solution to that problem... but they will not do it. Pay their people well above average... that coops the system. But if you pay your reporters and video graphers and the rest well, then it's easier for them to see the people on welfare like useless leeches. You don't... well there is this thing called class solidarity and resentment that starts to emerge after some time.

[Odd Won Out]

32. Thanks so much for your thoughtful response, but

while I totally agree with your analysis of access corrupting journalism, I was just looking at some data that seem to fly contrary to that meme.

Tweety seems to be going further off-script, and I watched Nora O'Donnell actually interacting with Paul Ryan instead of just doing dictation.

It's a small data set, but it could be the start of the change that we need. Maybe the internet will influence journalism to some extent. When you don't have a product that sells, you may be desparate enough to take a chance at doing real journalism.

Sometimes corporations actually do the right thing for profit. Clear Channel is a horrible right-wing corporation, yet it airs a lot of lieberal talk radio because it is profitable.

Thanks again for your input.

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. I am just giving you the response from the actual trenches

We actually do this for real... and yup, due to the stupidity of a company a story that should have been "fire at substation, did you know they have a fire brigade?" has become more about them squashing journos.

And when you multiply that by a lot...

Now it might change if the corporations themselves take the PEW study on media (that came out recently) to heart. Trust in National News is way down.

This has a lot more to do with them changing their tune, IMO

http://www.people-press.org/subjects/trust-in-media/

And quite honestly, it is simple, if you do not trust me to tell you the sky is blue, even when it is... I cannot sell you my product, now can I?

[Blue Belle]

26. I don't know how much it has been influencing the media...

Dan Rather, Bill Moyers, Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow were the Newsroom before the Newsroom was a sparkle in Sorkin's eye - and the only ones still around now are Moyers and Maddow. I do notice that every time I read a review or a recap of the show, the critic writing it almost always trashes the premise. It has always been my impression that they do this because Sorkin is pulling back the curtain on how corporations influence what the media pays attention to. I think that in this era of the media being toadies to their corporate overlords, we need shows like the Newsroom to illustrate what the world might be like in a universe where journalists still rely on principles. The good news for the Newsroom is that their ratings seem to be ticking up despite all the bad reviews from the critics. To quote another Sorkin character on West Wing, "If they 're shooting at you, you know you must be doing something right".

[Odd Won Out]

41. I am surprised at the amount of negative reviews about Newsroom

Stephen Colbert's correspondence speech had bad reviews too.

The MSM has a very thin skin, and introspection is not one of their strong points.

[sasha031]

35. I think it's helped Matthews :) he thinks Will McAvoy character is based on himself

he actually told Jeff Daniels this

[Ship of Fools]

37. If a mediocre TeeVee series can actually influence real life journalism,

then we're a pretty pathetic bunch--the human race, that is.

I'll take it, though.

...just one woman's opinion...

[Paladin]

39. Mediocre Sorkin Is Still Better Than 95% Of Other Programming.

And like you, I will Damn sure take it......

[Odd Won Out]

40. With Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert satirizing the news media every day,

it appears that they have no shame, except that it seems that Newsroom has had an impact.

It could be that I'm connecting dots that aren't there. Just because two events occur at the same time doesn't mean that one causes the other. On the other hand, I'm seeing media personalities posing as actual journalists. That is so unusual, I can't help but take notice.

[KharmaTrain]

38. "Journalists" Think The Problem Is The Other Guy...

The talking heads and stenographers inside the beltway have very thin skins. They live in their own world where contacts are stroked and competitors are either ridiculed or ignored. If there are people in the media who are being influenced it's pointing out how they ARE the Jeff Daniels character and how their work influenced him, not the other way around.

I find the show amusing but sadly lacking in one factor of reality (a sad fact of all Sorkin shows)...the self serving nature of the corporate media that has no scrupples...