The Newsroom's Will McAvoy vs. Anchorman's Ron Burgundy

The second season of HBO's "The Newsroom" is premiering on July 14th, and if it's anything like the first season, the scathing commentary on the state of journalism today will be unrelenting and painful. Here are five reasons why "The Newsroom" is an insult to journalism:

1. New media should be celebrated, not treated with contempt. The show vilifies new media. The anchor, Will McAvoy, is extremely reluctant to adapt to the times and is bitterly reverential about the good old days when you could only get three versions of the news.

2. Journalists are not the "intellectual elite". Will and his team think that he is god's greatest gift to mankind and that his viewpoint is beyond reproach, and he therefore doesn't offer contending views.

3. Good journalists have to work hard and be committed to reporting. The News Night team doesn't see a need to go out and get stories. The reporters rely primarily on luck and pre-existing knowledge.

4. There is always bias in media, you just need to be upfront about it. Will claims to be a republican but his story choice indicates the opposite. He repeatedly claims that the tea party is taking over the world and that this is the most pressing story on the docket.

5. Journalists do make mistakes, and they should take responsibility for them. Will actually does apologize, but on behalf of the journalism industry as a whole (of which he believes he has risen above).

Perhaps we should look to other fictional news people as role models. Anchorman's Ron Burgundy is a shining example of a go-getter journalist who doesn't pretend to be anything other than the lovable imbecile that he is. Thank goodness we can look forward to "Anchorman 2" coming out in a few months. Until then, you stay classy, New Media World.

Written and Produced by Tracy Oppenheimer. Camera by Sharif Matar.

About 2 minutes.

[lengthyounarther]

Sorkin cannot hide his biases no matter how clever he thinks he is.

[Swansong]

I'm having visions of Ron Burgundy taking down Will McAvoy in a back alley with a trident. And then sipping some Scotch.

[Prometheusforliberty]

Actually "Scrubs" is considered the most medically accurate fictional show about the medical profession

[mark]

Factually inaccurate from what is actually said and expressed on the show. Suggests you just read others' criticism of the show rather than watching for yourself.

[mook]

As a libertarian, Sorkin's pretensions irk me at times. But there's no doubting that he is a damn good screenwriter. I think one thing that's important to realize is that Will McAvoy is always painted as a flawed character. He is nostalgic for an era of journalism that is long passed. He is a bully to those who disagree with him. He constantly puts his foot in his mouth & makes statements which bit him in the ass. The show acknowledges that McAvoy is not God's gift to journalism.

[Lakersfield]

I think Jim Carry is the best news reporter in his movie Bruce Almighty.

[bamajackson]

I've been in Broadcasting since i was 19, I'm 36 now. Newsroom is by far one of the best shows I've ever seen and presents a very accurate depiction of what it's like. Anyone else like me would most likely agree. If you don't, then it's obvious you never worked in news.

[MovieCompoundBoat]

One name explains why Newsroom has never been attractive to me: Aaron Sorkin.

[OnlyEdandTheAlmost]

While we're on the subject, I always thought that "Scrubs" was an insult to doctors and "Gilligan's Island" was an insult to cruise-industry professionals.

[zvi]

Actually, during the cold war, the conservatives hated the Koch brothers for being so libertarian.

[KizoneKaprow]

"It doesn’t help matters when prime-time TV has Murphy Brown, a character who supposedly epitomizes today’s intelligent, highly paid professional woman, mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another lifestyle choice.”
-Dan Quayle

[Redmond]

It's pretty bad when the comedic parody shows more journalistic integrity than the serious drama.

[RealityStar]

Who needs a fictional drama about hard left reactionary journalism when you have CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR...

[KizoneKaprow]

You think the "illegitimacy rate" was caused by a '90s sitcom?
Wow.

[patrickwitkus]

Ron Burgundy is actually called while drunk at a bar to do that story

[KizoneKaprow]

You make some very good points. I would like to add, if I may, that the character of Daenerys Targaryen, the alleged "dragon queen, " is utterly biased and unbelievable. This is why HBO cannot be trusted to provide fair and balanced sword-and-sex drama. They are an insult to fantasy.

[CaptainJoystick]

1 - Will is repeatedly depicted as being leery towards the internet, this is not presented as a positive character trait. Fortunately, we are not children, and he is not a role model.
2 - The very speech you took those three frames from conflicts with your assertion.
3 - That 'pre-existing knowledge' is the result of their research. It is not innate.
4 - Will is very articulate about his issues with the Tea Party, if only you'd actually watched.
5 - There was a whole episode on this...

[ioana]

People!!! It's a work of fiction, for God's sake! It may not portray the most accurate picture of modern journalism but it's sets new standards for tv shows. It actually gives you food for thought. I like it because it stands fot rejecting intelectual conformism . It's a show that revolves around ideas and not pointless goofing around and good-loking people having intercouse. That's a nice change!

[bigal]

Note that she did NOT mention a word about new journalists verifying their sources. This is what Will is upset about. Obviously, this "chick" didn't get the point of the entire show. Look at the big picture, honey. She certainly shows the mentality of the so-called "New" journalism.

[hellsunicorn]

Both were extremely obvious examples of comedy, slapstick in the case of the former. The Newsroom is clearly trying to serious.