An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism:
being and ought to be in
The Wire
and
The Newsroom
Análisis del estilo audiovisual en la representación del periodismo: el ser y el
deber ser en The Wire (Bajo escucha) y The Newsroom
doxa.comunicación |
nº 39, pp. 401-419
| 401
July-December of 2024
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How to cite this article:
Huerta Floriano, M. A. and Pérez Morán, E. (2024). An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism: being and ought to be
in
e Wire
and
e Newsroom
.
Doxa Comunicación
, 39, pp. 401-419.
https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n39a2120
Miguel Ángel Huerta Floriano.
Bachelor’s Degree in Law, a B.A. in Journalism, and a PhD in Communication, he
serves as a professor of Audio-visual Management and Production at the
Universidad Ponticia de Salamanca
, where
he has held the positions of Vice-Rector of Strategic Coordination and Quality, as well as General Secretary. He is
the author of several articles in scientic journals, in addition to various books, including the following:
Celuloide en
Llamas
.
El cine estadounidense tras el 11-S
[Celluloid in ames, the US lm industry after the 9/11 attacks] (Notorious,
2006);
Paul Schrader
(Akal, 2008); and
Los géneros cinematográcos. Una introducción
[Film genres, an introduction]
(Tirant Humanidades, 2019). Professor Huerta Floriano was also a co-editor of the book entitled
El 'cine de barrio'
tardofranquista. Reejo de una sociedad
[late-Francoist ‘neighbourhood cinema’, the reection of a society] (Biblioteca
Nueva, 2012), and he has led and participated in several
research projects on audio-visual ction as well
.
Ponticial University of Salamanca, Spain
mahuerta@upsa.es
ORCID:
0000-0002-4292-7168
Ernesto Pérez Morán.
Bachelor’s Degree in Audio-visual Communication, and holds the post of assistant professor
on the Faculty of Art History at
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
. He co-edited the book entitled,
El 'cine de barrio'
tardofranquista. Reejo de una sociedad
[late-Francoist ‘neighbourhood cinema’, the reection of a society]
(2012),
and has written a dozen articles in indexed journalism, in addition to having participated in several research projects.
Professor Pérez Morán has also served as a lead researcher on two other projects funded by the
Universidad de Medellin
(Colombia), an institution with which he was aliated as a professor and coordinator of the PhD programme in
Communication for six years (2013-2018).
University Complutense of Madrid, Spain
[email protected]
ORCID:
0000-0001-9942-4417
is content is published under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. International License CC BY-NC 4.0
Received: 24/10/2023 - Accepted: 17/01/2024 - Early access: 26/01/2024 - Published: 01/07/2024
Recibido: 24/10/2023 - Aceptado: 17/01/2024 - En edición: 26/01/2024 - Publicado: 01/07/2024
Abstract:
e portrayal of journalism in ctional series of the 21st century
cannot be fully understood without considering two productions,
which are
e Wire
(HBO, 2002-2008) and
e Newsroom
(HBO, 2012-
Resumen:
La representación del periodismo en la cción seriada del siglo XXI
no puede entenderse sin dos obras como e Wire (Bajo escucha) (e
Wire, HBO, 2002-2008) y e Newsroom (HBO, 2012-2014). Sin em
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402 |
nº 39, pp. 401-419
|
July-December of 2024
An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism: being and ought to be in
The Wire
and
The Newsroom
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
1. Introduction
e portrayal of journalists in ctional productions has an impact on how they are perceived in real life (Ehrlich, 1997). In
fact, popular culture inuences the audience’s perception of the eciency of the media (Saltzman, 2005: 2). As a result, there
has been a proliferation of studies on how the lm industry, which is a mass medium with a strong cultural standing, has
interpreted both news professionals (McNair: 2010) and the journalistic profession itself (Ehrlich: 2004).
Although the early 21st century witnessed a preference for focusing on lms in research regarding the portrayal of journalism
(Saltzman, 2005), the increasing prestige of television series has helped to broaden the landscape. Undoubtedly, the
development of more elaborate and complex serial narratives (Mittell, 2015) have fuelled academic interest in productions
such as
e Wire
1
and
e Newsroom
, which have attracted the attention of lm critics, received major awards, and generated
a great deal of controversy.
While in the former, journalism was the main topic of the last season
2
, in the latter, journalistic practices were the main reason
for its existence. As these were two major commitments by Home Box Oce (HBO), the channel that built its brand image on
quality (Cascajosa, 2011), the approach to such a transcendental issue regarding the inner workings of democratic societies
resulted in every imaginable repercussion except indierence.
1
Numerous publications, such as the compilation edited by
Errata Naturae
(2010), and that of Álvarez and Simon (2013), just to mention a few, have been
published as a result of interest in the series.
2
e Wire
oers a panoramic view of the City of Baltimore in which each of the ve seasons focuses on one essential aspect of life in the city, all of which are
interrelated: drug tracking, the smuggling of goods and people in the port, the struggle for political power, the structural problems of the education system, and
the way in which the press operates.
2014). However, academic approaches to the two series have focused
on aspects related to theme, narrative, and reception, which generally
receive more attention in the eld of television studies than other
equally relevant viewpoints. is paper aims to ll the existing gap with
regard to formal approaches by proposing a textual and comparative
analysis of the stylistic keys of both series in their approach to
journalistic activity. One of the main ndings is that although both
series are very realistic,
e Wire
focusses on a formal system built
upon the strategies of staging, planning, editing and sound space, with
a tendency to descriptively display the facts, while
e Newsroom
uses
an expressiveness that idealises the way the profession is carried out
with a sentimental emphasis.
Keywords:
Journalistic representation; television style; textual analysis;
e Wire
;
e Newsroom.
bargo, las aproximaciones académicas a las dos producciones han
puesto el foco en aspectos temáticos, narrativos y de recepción, gene
-
ralmente privilegiados en el campo de los estudios televisivos frente a
otras perspectivas igualmente relevantes. El presente trabajo pretende
colmar la laguna existente respecto a los enfoques formales y propo
-
ne un análisis textual y comparado de las claves estilísticas de ambas
series en su tratamiento de la actividad periodística. Como principal
resultado, se concluye que, aunque las dos mantienen una conexión
importante con la realidad, e Wire (Bajo escucha) apuesta por un
sistema formal –articulado por las estrategias de puesta en escena,
planicación, montaje y espacio sonoro– más proclive a la exposición
descriptiva de los hechos, mientras que e Newsroom se decanta por
una expresividad que idealiza el ejercicio de la profesión mediante el
énfasis sentimental.
Palabras clave:
Representación periodística; estilo televisivo; análisis textual; e
Wire; e Newsroom.
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ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 403
For these reasons, it is not possible to understand the television portrayal of journalism in the current century without
examining two specic works which, given the fact that they were aired during approximately the same years and through the
same broadcaster, enable a comparative analysis to be added to the list of studies that have addressed both of them.
Moreover, these series have generally focused on ideological, narrative and ethical themes. erefore, theoretically it would
be novel to add a stylistic perspective that would enhance the understanding of the specic audio-visual format in which the
journalistic profession appears on the screen.
1.1. e Wire and e Newsroom: two approaches to the practice of journalism
e newspaper called
e Baltimore Sun
is at the heart of the last season of
e Wire
, and the cable news network
Atlantis Cable
Network
(ACN) is the setting for rst season of
e Newsroom
. e names chosen by David Chase and Aaron Sorkin, who are
the creators of both series, are highly signicant: while one is a ctional version of the well-known
Baltimore Sun
newspaper,
the other is an imaginary company whose name refers to the famous mythological City of Atlantis. Consequently, the names
indicate both the realistic and epic aspirations of both productions.
To begin with, it bears mentioning the dierent personalities of the key gures of the series, Simon and Sorkin, even though
they both t the prole of temperamental and problematic showrunners who played a leading role in the ird Golden Age of
American television (Martin, 2014)
3
.
With regard to Simon, he became interested in the profession because his father was a journalist, and he began writing for
student newspapers at high school, and later at the University of Maryland, before working as a reporter for twelve years at
e
Baltimore Sun
(Sabin, 2011: 140). Inuenced by the New Journalism with a left-wing liberal outlook, Simon cultivated a style of
reportage that sometimes took on a serial format, focusing on drug tracking in the city. During the 1990s, he rened a style
that would come to fruition with two books:
Homicide
(1991), and
e Corner
(1997). In between these two works, he wrote and
produced
Homicide: Life on the Street
(NBC, 1993-1999), which is a series based on his literary work. e move to HBO with
e Corner
(2000) culminated his journey from the written press to the audio-visual medium, which allowed him to explore the
same themes in a narrative way with considerable freedom as an author (Jensen, 2017). e last season of
e Wire
can only be
understood from the perspective of a screenwriter who was disappointed with the trends in journalism.
Regarding Sorkin, his interest in journalism came from outside. Although he is from a family of lawyers, his taste for drama led
him to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Musical eatre from Syracuse University in 1983. He made his Hollywood screenwriting
debut with
A Few Good Men
(Rob Reiner, 1992), which was an adaptation of his own play. e success of
Malice
(Harold Becker,
1993), and
e American President
(Rob Reiner, 1995), opened doors for him in the television industry, for which he produced
and wrote
Sports Night
(ABC, 1998-2000), which revolved around the sports newsroom of a cable network, although it focused
more on personal rather than professional aspects (Ferrucci and Painter, 2012). His consolidation as a series creator came
with
e West Wing
, NBC, 1999-2006, which won awards and critical acclaim during the four seasons he was on the series. At
3
Simon plays a major role in Martin’s controversial book dedicated to both of these complex men, yet strangely enough, Sorkin is noticeably absent from the work.
404 |
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|
July-December of 2024
An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism: being and ought to be in
The Wire
and
The Newsroom
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
that stage of his career, Sorkin’s writing style was fairly well dened, to the extent that he himself admitted to possessing an
“idealistic and romantic style” (Fahy, 2005: 14).
HBO premiered
e Newsroom
in November of 2014, after a shaky period that included
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
(NBC,
2006-2007), whose theme was the late night world, but it was cancelled after the rst season. Clearly, Sorkin was fascinated by
the inner workings of the media, so he spent more than a year in various television newsrooms to recreate the ins and outs of
the cable news industry (Huver, 2011).
With this type of background, some details that epitomise the mood of
e Wire
and
e Newsroom
are not surprising. For
example, in one episode from the rst season of Simon’s series,
e Wire
1.06, Detective Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) utters
the phrase, “all the pieces matter”, which became an iconic expression reected in the merchandising of products, as well as a
monograph that addressed the series (Abrams, 2018). Meanwhile, promotional material for
e Newsroom
presented the series
as a behind-the-scenes look at those who full the “quixotic mission” of achieving good news by overcoming commercial and
corporate obstacles (Peters, 2015: 608).
Freamon’s utterance summed up the factual vision and descriptive style that Simon tried to imbue in the stories that unfold
on several interrelated fronts. Moreover, Sorkin’s quixotic assumption was a declaration of principles about the idealism of the
series. ese were two distinct approaches to the journalistic profession, which could be summed up as what is versus what
ought to be.
1.2. e interest of the stylistic perspective in television studies: objectives and hypotheses
e approaches taken by Simon and Sorkin toward the portrayal of journalism were dierent, yet the two series had one thing
in common: they both suered a hostile response from the US media.
After the enthusiasm generated by the previous seasons, the fth season appeared to result in the media taking revenge on
Simon, who was accused of twisting and manipulating his personal experience to settle unresolved issues. us, rms belonging
to the Tribune Media Company, which is the owner of
e Baltimore Sun
, targeted the journalistic profession in order to
defend their own credibility, which had been called into question (Steiner et al., 2012). Although there were exceptions, the
author’s rancour was the victim of considerable criticism (Zurawik, 2007; Vozzella, 2008; Ryan, 2008), along with lampooned
portrayals of some of the main characters, especially those who were executives (Caramanica, 2008).
In turn, much of the criticism of
e Newsroom
revolved around its defence of institutional ideals that were perceived as
unrealistic and impractical (Koliska and Eckert, 2015: 751). e breach between what many journalists saw as the reality of the
profession and the on-screen depictions fuelled harsh criticism in the mainstream media (Stern, 2012; Nussbaum 2012; Hale,
2012; Marash, 2012).
is suspicion resulted in an interest that moved very quickly to the academic world. In the case of
e Wire
, the features that
stand out are the dramatic techniques used to design a reformist and nostalgic critique (Sabin, 2011), the attempt to repair
journalistic paradigms (Steiner et al., 2012), and the role of pseudo-events in the newsgathering process (Ferrucci and Painter,
2013). In the case of
e Newsroom
, proposals focused on the heroic portrayal of journalists (McNair, 2014), popular reections
on the state of journalism as a reaction to the series (Peters, 2015), and the media’s response to the way the profession is
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portrayed (Koliska and Eckert, 2015). Such research focuses on ideological, narrative and receptive aspects, which is no
surprise, due to the fact that of all the possible approaches taken toward the television industry, those related to style have
been among the least addressed (Butler, 2010). e history of television studies can be described as a slow progression of
aesthetic and formal approaches by those who were laying the theoretical foundations of this type of research (Newcomb,
1974; Ellis, 1982; orburn, 1987; Caldwell, 1995; Metallinos, 1996), and by theorists who applied them to case studies of
inuential authors and works after a few years (Vidal, 2018; Huerta and Pérez, 2019).
For these reasons, the main objective of this paper is to complement existing research on the portrayal of journalism in
e
Wire
and
e Newsroom
with a study that takes a fresh approach by focusing on the stylistic features of the series. To this end,
our starting point is the hypothesis that the audio-visual style of both series is consistent with their realistic and idealistic
approaches, respectively.
2. Methodology
To examine the stylistic qualities of the series, a text analysis was carried out regarding the ten episodes of the fth season of
e Wire
, as well as the ten episodes that comprise the rst season of
e Newsroom
. Specically, the analysis focuses on the
features that Bordwell and ompson describe as the “cinematographic style” (2001: 155-350).
Text analysis makes it possible to identify the possible meanings that are inherent to a text, which is useful for the researcher
who is concerned with ctional media content (Larsen, 1991). Indeed, text analysis helps to circumvent the limitations of
quantitative methodologies and opens up a range of options for identifying implicit patterns present in the object of study
(Furshich, 2009: 41).
However, as this eld of study is vast, we have focused specically on analysing portrayals that emphasise formal aspects of
a stylistic nature. Many of the visual and sound features that comprise ctional audio-visual texts are explained by Bordwell
and ompson using the concept of “cinematographic style” (2001: 155), as mentioned above. In the opinion of these authors,
style is a formal system resulting from a certain type of staging, planning strategies, a combination of shots in the editing, and
a specic sound design.
Starting from these blocks, the analysis of the twenty or so episodes focuses on the following: sets and scenery, costumes and
make-up, lighting, and the expression and movement of the gures; the composition of the frames, planning in terms of scale,
angulation and movement; the graphic and rhythmic relationships between shots; and the sound qualities (noises, music, and
the like).
e results obtained can be potentially compared to each other in order to discern, in a way that is comprehensive and
panoramic, the way in which they deal with the same subject: the work of journalists. For the sake of comparison, the sample
consists of one season for each series, and an equal number of episodes for each season. However, in the case of
e Wire
, the
fth and nal season was chosen, and in the case of
e Newsr
oom, the rst season was selected. It bears mentioning that in
David Simon’s crime drama, only one of the plots focuses on the press, which occurs in the fth season, whereas Aaron Sorkin’s
series revolves around a TV news network in the two seasons that aired.
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|
July-December of 2024
An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism: being and ought to be in
The Wire
and
The Newsroom
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
Finally, the texts are also comparable with a regard to production. e two series were produced by HBO and were originally
broadcast in the same way (weekly for HBO subscribers), with a time span that ran from 9 March 2008 (the farewell date of
e
Wire
) to 10 November 2014, the premiere of
e Newsroom
.
3. Results
3.1. Stylistic qualities in depicting journalism: the fth season of e Wire
e last release of
e Wire
extends several plot lines of the story about a police unit that pursues drug trackers using
eavesdropping and video surveillance techniques. However, the series gives a panoramic view of Baltimore, the most populous
city in the state of Maryland, and one of the most violent in the world.
In season ve, the police squad is disbanded due to city council cost-cutting. Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), fed
up with the situation, uses the deaths of several homeless people to make it look like they have been murdered. When Mayor
omas Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) realises that he can make electoral gains in his aspiration to become governor, he allocates the
resources necessary to solve the crime, although McNulty diverts the funds to the case of Marlo Staneld (Jamie Hector), one
of the drug lords who has been under surveillance for months. Veteran Lester Freamon leads an undercover operation that
culminates in the downfall of Marlo’s gang. Finally, when everything is revealed, the political machinery is activated to ensure
that no information gets out, even if it means the demotion of several policemen and the release of the drug lord.
e involvement of
e Baltimore Sun
is decisive in the sequence of events as well. e newspaper is in nancial trouble and
its employees are working in precarious conditions.
Executive editor James Whiting (Sam Freed) encourages the editors to push the “Dickensian side” of the news so they can
compete for a Pulitzer Prize. Ambitious M. Scott Templeton (omas McCarthy) takes advantage of the situation and ends up
publishing a series of stories full of falsehoods about the homeless murders. Veteran local section editor Gus Haynes (Clark
Johnson) tries to stop Templeton, who is supported by Whiting and editor-in-chief Klebanow (David Costabile). In the end,
despite the fact that both Gus and McNulty are aware of the lies in the heart of the articles, the executives and the journalist of
e Baltimore Sun
get their long-awaited Pulitzer Prize.
e relationship between the newspaper and the city is evident in the season’s headline. e sequence is made up of short
images, the second of which corresponds to the copies running on a press belt, just after the close-up of a screen with sound
waves, yet before a long-shot shot of Baltimore City Hall. To the sound of “
Way Down in the Hole
”, performed by Steve Earle
4
,
there are other shots that relate to the world of crime: taking drugs, suspects being booked, police cars with sirens blaring, and
so on. In short, we view a scene of politics and marginality. In between the shots, the headlines of various news stories are
added to those of the print press to announce the role of newspaper articles in the rhythm of the city.
4
e song, composed by Tom Waits, has dierent performers and versions in each season: e Blind Boys of Alabama, Waits himself, e Neville Brothers and
DoMaJe in the rst four seasons.
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Miguel Ángel Huerta Floriano and Ernesto Pérez Morán
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| 407
3.1.1. Staging Strategies
e Baltimore newspaper plays an important role in the events of the season. To emphasise the realistic tone, as David Simon
had covered the world of crime from 1982 to 1995, he kept the name and made sure that the staging features resembled as
closely as possible the premises of
e Baltimore Sun
. us, the arrangement of the newsroom, the colour of the walls, and
even the way in which the professionals rolled up their shirt sleeves were duplicated in detail (Steiner et al., 2012: 708).
Access to that world occurs near the end of the episode More with Less (1.01), a title that refers to the nancial cutbacks of
the police and journalists. During the scene, Gus is with other colleagues at the back of the building. An electric fence with
a sign saying Keep Out stands between the group and the camera lens which, aesthetic dierences aside, is reminiscent of
the beginning of
Citizen Kane
(Orson Welles, 1941). Here, too, the obstacle is overcome to see and hear how, amidst rusty
machines parked in disarray, the men discuss the rumours of layos circulating in the company.
After nishing a cigarette, Gus goes up the stairs leading to the newsroom, which is undoubtedly the great scenographic
reference of the journalistic plot. e space is large, crowded with people and objects: editors are huddled together at small
tables with their computers, books, le cabinets, scattered papers, posters on the walls, and more. e set reects the cramped
and untidy working spaces, emphasised by a low ceiling full of uorescent lights that seem to oppress the characters at the
top of the frame. ere is also an overemphasis of cold, neutral tones, with a predominance of grey and white, complemented
by the pastel green of some of the columns and oset with small patches of red and yellow. It is, in short, an articial and
somewhat chaotic environment as a result of everyday demands.
Most of the journalistic scenes take place in the newsroom, which points to a certain loss of street reporting. e frequency with
which editors attend press conferences and other events organised by politicians and the police, which appear in Transitions
(5.04)
5
, e Dickensian Aspect (5.06), Late Editions (5.09), and 30
(5.10), reinforces this view. Moreover, the close relationship
between journalism and power is evident in bars and cafés, places where professionals and their sources nd a condential
atmosphere for exchanging information. Especially eloquent is the scene in Not for Attribution (5.03), during which Gus shares
a few drinks with Norman Wilson (Reg. E. Cathey), a retired journalist and current advisor to the mayor, who leaks news of the
change in the post of police superintendent. e game is so obvious that Gus claims to talk to his interlocutor “from whore to
whore”
6
.
On the other hand, journalists rarely appear in their homes. When they do, the situation is similar to that of police ocers, who
also nd it very dicult to take their minds o work. In the early episodes, the series uses the home to characterise some of the
journalists, for example, when Gus is unable to sleep and wakes his wife in Unconrmed Reports (5.02), because he doubts the
5
e idea of press conferences as an instrument of public relations through euphemisms becomes a reality when Gus interprets what the mayor says during an
appearance broadcast on television, which the journalists follow from the newsroom.
6
e character’s fondness for public places as locations of encounter with his sources is conrmed in Last Editions, when Gus has lunch with Nerese Campbell
(Marlyne Barrett), who is preparing her candidacy for the mayor’s oce. Jimmy McNulty also meets on more than one occasion with Alma and Templeton in cafés
and bars to use the press for his Machiavellian crusade.
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July-December of 2024
An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism: being and ought to be in
The Wire
and
The Newsroom
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
accuracy of a piece of information that is about to be published. In Not for Attribution, Alma also gets up in the early morning
hours and goes out to nd a copy of
e Sun
, just to nd the page on which one of her pieces is published.
erefore, the prevalence of interior settings in the journalistic plot is quite evident. Nevertheless, as the case of the fake
homeless murderer unfolds, the exteriors become more prominent. On more than one occasion, however, Templeton’s
discomfort when working outdoors is noted, both in his search for testimonials for a story on the local baseball team, and
when he is immersed in his series of reports on the homeless. is negative view of the profession is oset by Mike Fletcher
(Brandon Young), the young black editor who, late in the season, is authorised by Gus to live with Bubbles (Andre Royo) to
prepare a feature story that oers an authentic view of life on the streets.
e scenography is generally used to create a realistic atmosphere. Furthermore, Bordwell and ompson use the term
attrezzo
to describe those objects in the set that actively operate within the action and can become a reason for the narrative (2001: 160-
161). Along these lines, the printed copies of the newspaper that are used by many characters at key moments, such as police
ocers, politicians, drug dealers, and the editors themselves, highlights the importance of the press in the dierent plots and
its inuence on the life of the city. is importance is mitigated, however, by the number of occasions on which the newspapers
are thrown into a waste bin, especially when police ocers are angry about what has been published.
Costumes and make-up are also realistic. Generally, the professionals wear shirts with rolled-up sleeves, along with jackets
and ties, when in the newsroom. However, when they work outside the newsroom or attend ocial events, they generally
respect the rules of formality by dressing with modesty and avoiding luxury. e seniority of the newspaper’s supporting cast,
who seem to be the last of a dying breed, is striking. As Sabin points out, more than a dozen of David Simon’s former colleagues
at
e Sun
, including his wife Laura Lippman, appear throughout the series (2010: 147). What’s more, Simon himself take a
seat at the editor’s desk during the last episode, with a pen in his mouth, as he writes with full concentration. Directly in front
of him is a sign with a vindictive message that reads, “Save
e Sun
”
7
.
e lighting varies according to the type of setting in which the action takes place. As previously mentioned, the low ceilings
of the newsroom are full of uorescent lights that ood the room with a soft, overhead illumination, creating a uniform and
neutral atmosphere consistent with a space designed for group work.
However, when the journalists leave the newsroom, the lighting in other places is more stylish. us, there is a proliferation
of shadows and warm tones in places where the journalists meet, such as a bar in the rst episode, which reinforces the
camaraderie among colleagues, and during the successive meetings with sources. In these scenes, the lighting helps to create
an atmosphere of condentiality that is essential for the series’ portrayal of reporting.
Finally, certain features are also reiterated in the expression and movements of the characters. e dynamic depiction of the
activity in the editorial oce enhances the fast-paced internal rhythm of many of the scenes that take place there. Most of
the frames include movements of people that create a clamorous and chaotic atmosphere. As if that were not enough, Gus’s
proactive and non-conformist nature is evident in his continuous trips between tables. In fact, there are many scenes that
7
is is not the only detail in the scene: the editing sequence that ends the season features another sign on Gus’ desk that reads, “Support our sta”.
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begin with him entering the set energetically, which emphasises the personality of a man who sees his profession as a constant
search for the truth.
3.1.2. Planning strategies
As a general rule, the fth season of
e Wire
tends toward descriptive planning, with an emphasis on a variety of medium scales
(American shot, medium shot, and medium- long shot), which balances the prominence of the characters and the context. To
a lesser extent, long shots are also used to focus on the location of the action, along with close-ups to assist in reading details
such as the headline of a news story. In the same way, standard camera and slightly oblique angles take precedence over other
more forced or expressive camera positions, which are nearly non-existent. Camera movements also need to be added to the
equation, especially for travelling and panoramic scenes for multiple intentionality, as often the same movement serves to
accompany a character, describe the setting, and make connections between elements found at the beginning and end of a
take.
Newsroom scenes tend to repeat planning patterns. On numerous occasions, Gus’s point of view takes precedence in the plot,
as he enters the place with a determined pace while the camera records his itinerary using either long-shots or American shots,
with considerable depth thanks to short focal lenses, as well as slightly tilted shots that emphasise the low height of the ceiling,
and an accompanying travelling shot that increases agility. Moreover, the movement of the camera is often intended to be
descriptive of the space and relational as well, as it establishes a meaningful link between elements or characters arranged on
the set. From that moment on, during the dialogues between the journalists, the scales are reduced to medium shots, generally
static or with slight travelling movements. Only occasionally does the planning become more expressive by combining close-
ups with the use of a shoulder-mounted camera, which adds tension to the lmmaking. e use of this technique is evident
in Took (5.07), especially when Gus turns to the journalists and announces that they will have more resources to follow up on
the case of the alleged psychopath. At the same time, there is a meeting in which Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick) speaks to
other ocials to organise a search for the killer, as the mayor has also committed resources to the case. e similarity between
journalistic and police ction that runs throughout the season is reinforced by another circumstantial use of the shoulder
camera. is occurs in 30, when Templeton lies to McNulty by saying that he saw the suspect eeing in a van.
On the other hand, medium shots are usually lmed with longer focal length lenses that avoid depth and generate the
perception of being far away. is strategy includes another compositional feature that appears frequently with a strong eect:
the characters usually have objects in front of them that take away a certain amount of space, make the area more closed, and
give both the camera lens and the spectator the role of being a witness to the events.
e sequence in which Gus enters the newsroom for the rst time is a fairly typical example of this technique. e camera
awaits the journalist in a central area and when he enters, a slight panoramic view is combined with an accompanying
horizontal travelling shot which, at the same time, shows a big room full of work stations. e American shot cuts to a medium
long shot when he stops to talk to an editor. After a brief ellipsis, he does the same with another, at which point three out-of-
focus computer monitors are placed in the forefront, occupying a large part of the frame. e appearance of a stolen shot, as
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July-December of 2024
An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism: being and ought to be in
The Wire
and
The Newsroom
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
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if the camera lens is the eyes of an anonymous editor observing the activity, gives the spectator the role of participating in the
scene as a witness to the events.
3.1.3. Editing strategies
e Wire
uses an invisible style characteristic of classical language, with a tendency toward continuity between images and
gradual changes of shots and cuts, which is nearly the only assemblage technique that promote transparency. Furthermore, in
terms of the rhythm generated by the editing, synthesis predominates, with an abundance of long takes and shorter fragments
when there are dialogues with brief statements.
Continuity and transparency in the editing help to display the events portrayed as interrelated parts of a larger whole.
Consequently, there are scenes that set up a situation that is suddenly interrupted in order to pave the way for another scene
with a dierent plot or plots, before recovering the development and resolution of the rst one. In this sense, staging is a basic
tool that embodies the axiom, “all the pieces matter”, which drives the production, although only exceptionally are actions that
happen simultaneously on dierent stages presented in parallel.
On the other hand, a linear and uid ow of events in which there are no ashbacks is common. However, the expository style
is broken in the nal sequence of the last episode.
One of the most distinctive formal features of
e Wire
is how all the seasons close with a montage sequence as exceptional as
the slow motion of some of its shots, which provides a brief resolution of each plot through short fragments. As they follow one
after another, there is an eect of creating meaning through combination, establishing a valuable nexus between the various
parts of the large-scale altarpiece, which is the City of Baltimore in its entirety.
e evaluative intention becomes more evident as the sequence is preceded by McNulty’s gaze toward the city, in a gesture
similar to that of a longshoreman contemplating the port in the episode Port in a Storm (2.12). Instead of the counter-plane
corresponding to their point of view, the spectator sees diverse situations that belong to the world of the police, the street, the
judicial domain, prisons and, of course, the media, in a proposal that claries the causes and eects of what is happening in
the city.
Specically, the plot at
e Sun
culminates in two very brief excerpts that sum up the love/hate relationship that the drama
seems to have with the world of journalism: while Templeton accepts his Pulitzer Prize and shares it with Whiting and
Klebanow, the strict Fletcher seems to have been promoted, as he gives directions to a veteran editor.
When the sequence ends, the story returns to McNulty. After saying, “let’s go home”, to the homeless man he has taken out
of the shelter, he starts the car and leaves the scene, with the last image of the series being a long shot of the skyscrapers
of Baltimore in the background, and a motorway criss-crossed by cars in the foreground. e shot remains on screen for a
considerable amount of time as a conclusion: nothing has changed, everything remains the same.
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3.1.4. Sound strategies
Sound helps to congure a formal system with expository intentionality. e descriptive purpose is evident in the use of the
soundtrack, which is very present in the scenes set in the newsroom of
e Sun
. e soundscape tends to be dense, with
telephone rings, computer keystrokes, and conversations in the background. Just as the staging revealed a tendency toward
accumulation and disorder in the visual aspects, the sound environment during these types of sequences is in line with the
same idea.
In any case, here too the aim is realism, which makes the spectator a type of eyewitness.
ere is creative forethought in one of the most unique formal features of the series: almost all the sounds are diegetic;
consequently, they are present in the action. is is overwhelmingly true of the music, as
e Wire
lacks a non-diegetic
soundtrack that might convey emotion or be used for other expressive purposes. e only musical compositions played are
part of the diegesis. Moreover, they are not introduced through post-production techniques. As such, popular and energetic
genres such as blues, jazz and rock supplement the credibility of the meetings in bars, such as that of Gus and the veteran
Twigg (Bruce Kirkpatrick) in Not for Attribution. Consequently, the exuberance of a jazz trumpet serves as a counterpoint to
the lamentation of Twigg, who is about to be red: “In ten years, there will be nothing left to call a newspaper”.
As illustrated in the montage, the elaborate sequence that serves as a closure is truly exceptional. e series of short scenes is
complemented by an extradiegetic theme song that plays from beginning to end. is is the only one in the entire season and
something that happens in previous seasons as well. is added expressive feature also has a self-referencing nuance, as the
song is a version of
Way Down in the Hole
, performed by e Blind Boys of Alabama, which was also played in the header of
the rst season.
3.2. Stylistic qualities in the depiction of journalism: e rst season of e Newsroom
e ashpoint of
e Newsroom
comes when Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston), president of the news division of the Atlantis
Cable Network (ACN), hires MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) as executive producer of
News Night
, the network’s prime
time show. Its host and editor, Will McAvoy (Je Daniels), is uneasy about the decision for two reasons: they had a relationship
that ended because of her indelity, and he doesn’t think she’s the right person to get big ratings.
MacKenzie’s idealism, which is illustrated by her comment, “It’s Don Quixote’s moment”, in We Just Decided To
(1.01.), which
is clearly evident when her rst task upon arrival is to cover the explosion of a BP oil platform, which is followed by a ve-
million barrel oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
e story’s timeline is rmly set from 20 April 2010 (the day on which the accident occurred) to 8 August 2011, the date when
e Greater Fool (1.10) narrates how Will dismantles the false republicanism of the Tea Party, the ultra-conservative branch
that controls another party of which he is a recognised member. In between, the members of the newsroom try their best to
produce an ethically impeccable news programme, an objective that is put to the test when covering events such as the attack
on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giords in I’ll Try to Fix You
, (
1.04), the rebellion against Egyptian President Mubarak in Amen,
(1.05), or the assassination of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden in 5/1, (1.07), among other real-life events. is concept of
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July-December of 2024
An analysis of the audio-visual style used in the portrayal of journalism: being and ought to be in
The Wire
and
The Newsroom
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
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journalism as the cornerstone of a healthy democracy sometimes clashes with the economic and political interests of the
Atlantis Media Group, the business conglomerate to which ACN belongs, which is owned by Leona Lansing (Jane Fonda).
e show’s opening is a statement of the series’ intention. Its rst section is highlighted by real black-and-white images of old
newsreels that follow one after another, a CBS set broadcasting election day, a make-up room, a production control room, and
the faces of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite (two legendary gures in television journalism) who ll the screen as they
present their programmes. omas Newman’s soundtrack reinforces the nostalgic tone of a performance which, in its second
half, oers a colour replica of the invented ACN full of short shots and chained fades. e dialogue between a ctional present
and a historic past that serves as a benchmark is embedded in the opening piece of each episode.
3.2.1. Staging Strategies
e newsroom of the programme called
News Night
, which is articial and indoors, is the main setting of the story. e room
is quite large, with a notable separation between work stations, and a ceiling of considerable height. A blue colour abounds,
which is consistent with the channel’s corporate image, combined with grey tones of le cabinets, glass dividers, etc., with
some wood panels in brown for contrast, and green columns.
e style is repeated in other professional settings in nearby rooms, such as the boardroom where topics to be covered in the
news bulletin are discussed. In these cases, large glass windows are more prominent, in Will’s oce as well (adjacent to the
newsroom), although with a peculiar aspect: they are tinted for a certain amount of privacy, which illustrates his character as
a person who tries to protect himself.
e set and the programme’s production control area are equally remarkable. e many technological resources required
for broadcasting dominate the setting. In this sense, television monitors play a highly active role in the narrative, thereby
embodying what Bordwell and ompson call a fundamental tool, or
attrezzo
.
e omnipresence of the screens makes them another character in an attempt to demonstrate their power of inuence, which
is a determining factor in the professional commitment of those who inhabit the series. However, the expressive polyvalence
of the scenarios is striking, as the spaces in question are not only home to professional activity, but they often host events of a
personal nature as well. On several occasions, the partners of some of the characters are quietly sitting in the newsroom, even
during hectic moments like the time just prior to the announcement of Bin Laden’s death in the episode 5/1
.
In this regard, the sets are places where the professional and the emotional are constantly intermingled. Sorkin combines the
two dimensions, so that even in the apartments, such as Will’s luxurious home or in the more modest version belonging to
Maggie (Alison Pill) and Lisa (Kelen Coleman), or in the bar near the station known as Hang’s Chew karaoke bar, the journalistic
plots can move forward. In fact, profession and emotion go hand in hand at all times.
e characters tend to wear comfortable clothes with toned-down colours when working behind the scenes, with the exception
of Skinner, who clearly belongs to the old school with his inseparable bow tie and classic jacket, yet they dress much more
elegantly when they appear in front of the camera. In the rst episode, MacKenzie asks who is in charge of Will’s wardrobe.
When she is told that no one is, she instructs them to order suits in “ash grey, navy blue and black from Zegna, Armani and
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Hugo Boss”. When they question her decision by asking, “Isn’t he going to look like an elitist prick?” she replies, “at’s what he
is! Let him at least go back to being sexy”.
Contributing to the impeccable appearance that is the aim of the production company is the intense, vivid, and uniform
lighting that oods the set. e lights in front of the anchor-man are often made visible in the diegesis in order to create
symbolic value. For example, the programme that Will devotes to the contradictions of the Tea Party in the episode e Greater
Fool” concludes with travelling backward from the host’s back, which gives the huge light sources prominence in the frame,
clearly suggesting that the aim of shedding light on reality has been successfully accomplished
8
.
Finally, the movement and expression of the characters gives a sense of hyperactivity in many parts of the episodes, especially
during the lead-up to the broadcasts, and when unforeseen events occur. As such, the staging shows frenetic activity in order to
nd dynamic solutions. is unrestrained internal rhythm is compensated by the thoughtful calm of the preparatory meetings,
the broadcasting of the programmes, and recurring situations that depends on other resources such as planning and editing
to achieve formal dynamism.
3.2.2. Planning strategies
e planning is remarkable for its expressiveness. Although both directors employ a wide range of scales, they give special
emphasis both to the more open and the more closed with two objectives: on the one hand, the long shots, especially of
the professionals working in the newsroom, try to convey a collective protagonism, so that those who make
News Night
look
somewhat like members of a family
9
.
On the other hand, the most relevant scenes in terms of dramatic structure are often concluded with emotional endings full
of facial close-ups.
Most of the camera positions are at eye level with the characters, although there are some high-angle shots of the newsroom
for the purpose of enhancing the group view of those who work there. ere are occasional low-angle shots, especially of Will,
Mackenzie, and Skinner, which reinforce their status as moral leaders in the shared adventure of newsreel journalists.
Moreover, the camera movements serve the same purpose: the main characters are often accompanied by travellings,
especially when they walk through the bustling corridors of the station, which adds vitality to the lmmaking. Rarely does the
camera remain static, while there is a plethora of panoramic shots that shift the attention from one character to another in the
same shot, which is a clear alternative to editing cuts, thereby reinforcing the connection between the characters and their
belonging to a team. e result is a style with a clearly realistic touch, topped o with a zoom in, which is a common resource
in emotionally extreme situations.
8
By contrast, the sets on the 44th oor of the channel’s oce building, which is occupied by owner Leona and her son Reese (Chris Messina), contain shadows that
are associated with shady corporate interests, as seen in the meeting of e 112th Congress (1.03).
9
e plot is characterised by a strong endogamy, so that the emotional and professional dimensions of the characters constantly overlap.
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The Wire
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3.2.3. Editing strategies
All the strategies described above have a clearly formal meaning in the editing. As a general premise,
e Newsroom
dramatises
journalistic activity with a strong rhetorical component. As a stylistic pattern, during the
News Night
broadcasts, production
resources such as cranes, teleprompters, mixing desks, etc., are evident, and the discourse is fragmented by means of brief shots
with a lot of movement, whether they are travellings, zooms, panoramas, or shoulder-mounted shots. In the same way, the
programme is nearly always edited in close collaboration with the production control department from where the programme
is managed, as well as from the newsroom where the professionals closely follow the broadcast, thereby emphasising the
notion of team work.
e fragmented discourse, which also occurs in stressful situations in other settings, is mitigated in the multiple scenes that
culminate in emotionally intense and ideologically persuasive speeches by some of the characters. To underpin the vehement
tone to which the closed scales and musical soundtrack are added, the editing becomes more concise, so that the audience can
be compelled to listen to MacKenzie telling Will in News Night 2.0 (1.02), “be the leader; give us the morale that the programme
should have; be the integrity”; just to highlight one example.
e production of meaning through editing is also manifested in episodes that breach linearity. ere are non-linear structures
through the use of ashbacks in e 112th Congress, I’ll Try to Fix You, Bullies (1.06), and e Greater Fool, with the season’s
farewell episode being the most notorious example of a time disruption that explains the causes of an event (an example of
which is converting a report about an elderly black woman not being allowed to vote for a Republican legislative initiative into
an opening news story), in addition to describing its consequences with strong emotion.
Moreover, in these and other episodes, the time markers of the story are displayed through labels that specify the day, month,
and year of the events in question. is visual information also emphasises that the events with which the ctional journalists
are working are based on real situations.
Time disruptions and shifting rhythms guide the viewer to make a very specic interpretation of the events, which undergo
emotional enhancement through editing. e aim is clear during the montage sequences that summarise moral principles,
which use an array of tools to take advantage of the emotional power of audio-visual depiction. For this purpose, sound
strategies are of paramount importance.
3.2.4. Sound strategies
Music plays a major role in the stylistic personality of
e Newsroom
. First and foremost, what stands out is the soundtrack by
omas Newman, an experienced Hollywood composer. His creations emerge in scenes that have the greatest dramatic force,
and are generally used to underscore the intriguing, frenetic and, above all, emotional and epic tone of the events. For the most
part, emotion is combined with slower, more closely planned productions, in a strategy of remarkable expressiveness that is
achieved through the fusion of image and sound.
e prominence of the sound space becomes more relevant in the sequences that use songs by well-known artists, which
contribute to the exaltation of concepts and ideas. For example, at the end of Night News 2.0, Radiohead’s
High and Dry
is