‘Newsroom’s’ Top 5 Targets

This story first appeared in the June 28 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

The Tea Party

Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) makes a sport of railing against the ultra-conservative political movement. Season one ends with him referring to the Tea Party as “the American Taliban.” Repercussions for his newscast and its parent company will be explored in season two

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Tabloid Journalism

McAvoy’s disdain for the tabloids is a recurring theme in season one. At one point he tells a tabloid reporter it’s “a form of pollution that makes us dumber and meaner and is destroying civilization.”

Big Media

ACN chief Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) and owner Leona Lansing (Jane Fonda) fight often about the roles advertisers, stockholders and Congress should play in the newscast. And it will remain a hot topic, with Leona’s son Reese (Chris Messina) shut out of a House of Representatives meeting because of McAvoy’s Taliban comment.

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The NRA

McAvoy blasts the organization, along with Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh, for “colossally lying” about President Obama’s track record on guns.

The Koch Brothers

The billionaires, well known for their contributions to conservative causes, served as a frequent punching bag in season one, with McAvoy suggesting they’re a threat to democracy.