Newton Minow and Edward R. Murrow both believed that television had a responsibility to the public, to provide not just what the public wanted, but what we needed. In the 1950s and 1960s they each gave stirring speeches, compelling network executives to consider their responsibilities to the public as they used the public’s airwaves.
I thought both speeches were noble and essential, but I never had much proof that TV could do good. Even TV news and Sesame Street, which are nominally informative, always seemed to just create a dependence on passive entertainment.
Various television shows have sucked me in, but I usually found reading more engaging than watching. This year, I saw how powerful good television could be from Parks and Rec and The West Wing. I’m a little late to both shows, but both, in addition to telling enthralling stories I connected with, invited me to a sense of civic duty I hadn’t felt before.
I first fell in love with The West Wing for its constant movement. People incessantly walked in and out of meetings, hallways, and spontaneous encounters with such choreographed grace that I couldn’t help but want to be there. And after Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman, and President Bartlet had captured my attention, I became involved in the process of politics. I started exploring the current (real-life) presidential campaign more and learning about the law on my own.
I’ve always had the desire to do something good for the world, but had avoided politics because of its predilection for pettiness and vindictiveness. I know Aaron Sorkin’s portrayal showed more of the silver lining than the storm clouds, but I started to realize this was something I could be good at and was possibly a way I could do good.
I wasn’t expecting it, but this show was good. Good for me. It drew me into a conversation I never thought I could participate in. That’s the power of television: inviting us to experience worlds we don’t think we have access to. Books or movies can do the same, but the short segments and serial nature of television create a habit that let us participate a little more or for a little longer than other media would.
The West Wing will not turn all of us into public servants, nor should it. But when people like Sorkin or Amy Poehler or Jon Stewart take the time to make television good, there’s almost nothing it can’t do.
transferable skills 