The Newsroom (2012 2014) A news team attempts to create a news show that reports the news in an ethical and reasonable way. They take real, newsworthy events from our world as they're happening (such as bin Laden's assassination, NSA spying, etc) and report on them as if they were an actual news station that followed rational and moral guidelines, in a biting criticism of our popular press and a clever blurring of art and reality. Aaron Sorkin once chronicled the daily work of the federal government in "The West Wing." In "The Newsroom," the Emmy-winning executive producer uses the operation of a fictional cable news network as the heart of the story, with Jeff Daniels portraying the network's lead anchor and leading an ensemble cast. Episodes are written around actual recent news events, reported by a staff that takes its collective responsibilities seriously, but corporate and commercial obstacles -- plus entangled personal relationships -- fly in the face of their public mission.