Former cable newser: HBO’s ‘Newsroom’ misses the point

But as a former TV journalist, I’m having a difficult time suspending my disbelief when it comes to “The Newsroom.” The show’s central assertion rings false, the premise seems contradictory, and the program removes the true drama that often occurs in a newsroom.

If you haven’t seen it, “The Newsroom” centers on a cable news program called “News Night” and its anchor, Will McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels). The series begins when Mr. McAvoy, a well-regarded objective journalist, explodes during a public event by blasting a questioner’s assertion that America is the greatest country on the planet. His rare lapse into “opinion journalism” ultimately convinces McAvoy that he should abandon his objectivity to instead tell “the truth” every night.

Here are three reasons “The Newsroom” is off:

1. The concept isn’t even remotely shocking.

The show’s creators seem to believe that it would be “shocking” for a formerly objective anchor to suddenly abandon his neutrality and deliver a personal viewpoint. But that story dates back almost to the beginning of television news, when broadcasting legends Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, among many others, delivered strong personal views.