Evaluating journalism through popular culture: HBO’sThe Newsroomand public reflections on the state of the news media

Abstract

While HBO's The Newsroom presents itself as fictional television, its narrative is driven by critiquing American cable news culture and contemporary journalism ethics. This article analyses popular reflections on the programme to identify what these discourses reveal about public evaluations of the state of the US news media. Based upon 1115 lengthy audience posts and discussions and 49 news articles, I argue that the response to this supposedly 'fictional' newscast nonetheless reveals a highly politicized scepticism about the actual news media and a corresponding -although fairly depoliticized and surprisingly uniform -nostalgic lament for the journalism of days gone by. Similarly, findings suggest that the traditional modernist discourse of journalism as a public good persists -both among journalists and the public -despite the evident commercial underpinnings of the American media system. The study finds that audiences and journalists alike use the show as a catalyst to (1) 'name and shame' news outletsincluding the fictional Newsroom, (2) engage in political confrontation and (3) employ the rhetoric and metanarratives of the Anglo-American objectivity regime to define 'good' journalism. However, it also finds that while individuals may embrace critique, they often lack critical skills to go beyond politicized accusations of bias.

Teaching Journalism Ethics Through “The Newsroom”: An Enhanced Learning Experience

“…As noted above, The Newsroom aired on HBO for only three seasons; however, it has been studied by scholars (Koliska & Eckert, 2015;Peters, 2015). Peters (2015) argued that the show depicted an idealistic form of journalism, capturing the "uncertainty surrounding contemporary journalism and [making] these struggles visible by taking us 'behind the scenes'" (p. 605).…”

“…Although the show generated enough interest (and praise) to be renewed after the second episode of the first season, reactions were not all positive (Koliska & Eckert, 2015;Peters, 2015). Some critics have said the show was sermonizing (Bishop, 2014;Gross, 2012).…”

Journalism needs a better argument: Aligning public goals with the realities of the digital news and information landscape

“…Finally, a significant challenge facing those who want to reinforce the bedrock of ‘good’ journalism in a digital era is figuring out how to ensure the public demands it. While the modernist tenets of professional journalism are seemingly well known, the critical abilities that systematic media literacy education provides are less well established (Peters, 2015). The only way to change this is through pedagogy – demanding ‘good’ journalism necessitates first being able to recognize it.…”

Entering The Newsroom: The Sociocultural Value of ‘Semi-Fictional’ Entertainment and Popular Communication

“…Like many contemporary programs, audiences engaged not just by watching the program but discussing it in online fansites and viewer forums. In 2013 I studied one of the more prominent of these to consider the audience-crafted discourses surrounding the program and how these related to journalistic evaluation of the show (for details on the full study, please see Peters, 2015). To sum, after studying the top-10 topics containing 1115 lengthy 1 posts and discussions within them, it quickly became clear that audiences engaged with The Newsroom not just as a work of fiction, but as a semi-fictional parallel and avenue to evaluate the role, perception, and performance of the contemporary news media, the politics of the nation, and American society.…”