The News: “We’re in the same business as the producers of Jersey Shore”

As a fan of The West Wing, I was extremely excited when Aaron Sorkin’s new show, The Newsroom was aired in Australia. And how convenient that it aligns perfectly with my own study of journalism. Issues that are addressed every week in my lectures are played out for me on my television, in a quick, witty drama.

With the internet providing your own personal choice of news at the touch of a button and the pressures from advertisers, a problem has arisen for broadcast news. How do we get people to still watch our program?

For many news programs the answer is simple: show only what the people want to see. The aim is for people to watch TV, be sucked in by the ads and thus appease the advertising giants. This leads to a problem in itself, and that is the public living in the shadow of ignorance. Broadcast news is spoon feeding us the information we want to hear, sensationalised dramas of overseas conflicts and the latest antics of the Kardashians, as opposed to the factual information we need to hear to be a well-informed community.

In the sermon from the gospel of Aaron Sorkin, delivered by the character, Will McAvoy, the failings of modern broadcast news is brought to bear.  

“The reason we failed isn’t a mystery. We took a dive for ratings”

The Newsroom plays out the dream of any journalist, to win out the battle against ratings and deliver ‘real’ news. But in the real world, is there any room for the media elite? The simple fact of the matter is, that regardless of how hard-hitting and superior the show is, if people don’t want to watch it, then it is all for nothing. One can only hope that people still have a genuine interest in the news and the world around them, not just what occurs in Hollywood.