Last year on July 31st the movie The Terror Live was released and gained great popularity. It contains interesting factors about terror, but it also covers the corrupted role of the press which is obsessed with ratings and money. If the ratings increase, the price of TV commercials increase too. In the movie we can see how the media manipulated news reports for their own interests without paying much attention to their consciences.
On the other hand, there is a TV show that interestingly displays not only journalists’ attitudes toward news but also interesting relationships between characters. The title of the drama is Newsroom. Let’s go into the turbulent stories of journalists who primarily care about reporting facts only, not ratings.
Newsroom is famous for its rather provocative opening scene of the first episode, which covers the main character Will McAvoy’s biting speech. In the middle of a talk show he is hosting with two celebrities who each has conservative and progressive tendencies related to politics, McAvoy demanded an answer to the question, ‘why is America so great?’ from a university student. He dexterously tries to evade the question as he has been trying to hide his political tendencies. However, relentless pressure from the commentator and a picket of the audience that says ‘Express’ stimulates Will and eventually there goes his biting remarks, ‘America is a not a great country.’ Then the series starts.
Will McAvoy is a level headed, somewhat lonely man who was a top anchor at ACN, a private broadcasting station. Due to the problematic remark above, he is fired and becomes a news anchor of a new program, News Night. His ex-girlfriend is also hired as an executive producer of the program, but he tries to get her fired since he hates working with her. Breaking news about an oil spill stops their fight, and they have their first broadcast without much preparation.
Teamwork amongst the staff stands out, especially with Jim (senior producer), Maggie (associate producer with a whimsical charm), and Neal (a genius addicted to weird subjects). Though they have to begin the first broadcast with several problems, they successfully finish it with their passion. From then on, with the recruitment of an economist Sloan Sabbith, News Night begins to expand. Through the process of broadcasting tons of incidents and dramas, News Night staffs’ agonies are depicted---choices between higher ratings and journalists’ duty to convey the facts only. Of course, these serious issues are only half of Newsroom. Another interesting element of the show is the relationships amongst the staff, which refreshes the show again and again. I want you to check out how all the relationships go on---sweet and intense. Also don’t forget to check the ‘picket-woman.’ It will surprise you, I guess.
The creator of the show is Aaron Sorkin, the writer-producer of Social Network and Moneyball. His specialty is maximizing interesting subjects and building up suspense and tension, which Newsroom all reflects quite vividly. Jeff Daniels’ outstanding performance as Will McAvoy very strongly pulls the audience into the drama and it earned him the award of best actor in a TV drama at the 65th Emmy Awards. Above all, the performances of all the actors as journalists---such as requesting and conducting interviews, and collecting information about current events--make the show really believable and lifelike. The scene of broadcasting Osama Bin Laden’s death news was truly unforgettable.
While you enjoy the show, you will naturally be exposed to current vocabulary as well as clear, authentic pronunciation and sentences used in news shows. There are 19 episodes in total: 10 for the first season and 9 for the second. The first two seasons of Newsroom recorded a great success, and the third season is expected to be on air in 2014. I strongly recommend this show as it makes you think what News’ true meaning is. And it helps you improve your English skill as well. < Copyright © The Gachon Herald All rights reserved > |