An Exploration Of Television Network Newsrooms: A Review of James L. Brooks' "Broadcast News"

Released in 1987, James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News follows the lives of three broadcast journalists: Jane Craig, a producer who struggles to find a balance between her work and her personal life; Aaron Altman, a reporter who aims to have on-camera exposure in the network; and Tom Grunick, a local news anchorman who lacks experience. Broadcast News explores the various personal problems that permeate these journalists’ lives, whilst they grapple with other work-related issues that come their way.

The film has been mostly credited with its accurate portrayal of a standard television newsroom. After discussing films that explored the environment of a newspaper journalist’s newsroom, such as All The President’s Men and The Paper, Broadcast News immediately makes clear that a television newsroom is a different environment. The television newsroom is hectic, and tensions are running high as producers and journalists do their best to stick to their deadlines. Though its portrayal was comical, the film showcases the pressure that a network is subjected to in order to deliver footage that needs to be broadcast.

Additionally, the film highlights the importance of communication between each other in a television newsroom. Unlike a newspaper journalists’ newsroom, where communication between editors and writers are kept to a minimum, a broadcast journalist’s work is more collaborative. Throughout the film, Jane has had to work with various teams and people in order to make sure a broadcast runs smoothly: she worked with broadcast engineers and runners in order to make sure what was being broadcasted was of the highest quality and that this footage was delivered on time. 

When she became an Executive Producer for a special coverage regarding a United States Military plane shot down in Sicily, she had to constantly coordinate with Tom and the on-scene reporters to make sure the live broadcast ran smoothly, while feeding Tom additional information and possible new developments on the news story they were covering. This scene especially highlighted the need for constant communication between the journalists and producers, in order to ensure the accuracy and the quality of the broadcast produced.

Jumping off on the exploration of a television newsroom, the film also confronts the various issues that broadcasters and producers face from day-to-day. At the surface, the film explores the various personal issues that permeate broadcasters’ lives: Jane, for one, is unable to sustain meaningful relationships with people because her attitude towards work gets in the way. Much like the previous films tackled in class, the journalists in this film struggle with work-life balance, as they are easily consumed by the deadlines imposed by their work.

Broadcast News also explores the various tensions that a television news network grapples with. Given the visual nature of their work, the network prioritizes reporters who may not have the most experience but are appealing on camera: which was the case for Tom being selected as an anchor over Aaron. The film also includes a debate between Jane and their director, arguing that a person with more experience should be placed in front of the camera.

Amidst all the personal and work-related issues that the protagonists face, the movie showcases the values that one needs in order to survive and succeed in the field of broadcast journalism. Broadcast News immediately makes its viewers known that in broadcast journalism, there is a premium on one’s qualifications and skill levels. In the beginning of the film, Tom confesses to Jane that he does not have enough experience to become a news anchor and is dissatisfied with the way his career is going. Jane, meanwhile, does not hide her disappointment: she immediately tells Tom that there are resources that can help him learn more.

On his first day at the television news network, Tom was asked to observe the production of a broadcast -- where he is immediately portrayed as someone getting in the way as people rushed past him in order to complete their jobs and deliver the footage on time. Additionally, the film also highlights Tom’s inexperience through his demeanor at work: while he is expressing his eagerness to work in the television news network, the people around him seem jaded or tired.

Another value that has been highlighted was the importance of authenticity in reporting. While working on a special coverage in Nicaragua, Jane constantly reminds her team of the fact that they are there to cover what is happening and not stage a story. Before the film ends, Jane discovers that Tom had faked his tears during his interview of a date rape victim-- greatly upsetting her and eventually leading her to break things off with him before they went on a romantic getaway.