The Wire's newspaper angle

At best, I'm a very casual viewer of The Wire so I can't tell you much about the intricacies of the last four seasons, but based on the role a fictional Baltimore Sun newsroom plays in the upcoming season, I may have to start getting HBO.

David Simon, the show's creator, used to work for The Baltimore Sun and uses that knowledge to examine the role of the newspaper in Baltimore's deterioration in the fifth and final season. Overly ambitious reporters, steadfast editors, bean-counting parent companies...it's all there. (Click on "The Wire: The Last Word" in the right-hand column.) It's an interesting proposition Simon is putting forth and despite this being Hollywood's version of news life—insert grain of salt here—it's probably not that far off from the realities the industry is facing right now. It'll be interesting to see how the season unfolds and what the fictional storyline may offer to people putting out fires in real newsrooms across the country.

adl

Aiesha D. Little
NABJ Adviser
University of Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists