The West Wing

Danny's Newspaper

Description

Danny's Newspaper operates as a public-facing print news outlet that publishes political reporting and breaking items which directly reach and influence governmental actors. In the current material it printed the Cochran article that precipitated an ambassadorial resignation and published a piece that appears to have set up Sam and Laurie, becoming the center of a reputational scandal and a potential defendant in threatened legal action. Its internal hierarchy remains unspecified; reporters exercise strong editorial autonomy and the outlet functions as an agenda-setting pressure point that forces rapid White House damage control and legal responses.

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

2 events
S4E22 · Commencement
Danny's Ultimatum on C.J.'s Couch

Danny's newspaper is the external pressure in the scene: it's prepared to run a lead that links the U.S. government to Shareef's plane. The paper's editorial independence and need for scoops drive the timeline and create leverage over the White House.

Active Representation

Through Danny as its reporting agent and the threat of front-page publication.

Power Dynamics

Challenging the administration's secrecy; wielding agenda-setting power via the press.

Institutional Impact

The newspaper's stance forces the White House to confront covert actions publicly, testing institutional control over narrative and security claims.

Internal Dynamics

Implicit newsroom priorities (scoop urgency vs. caution over lives) and editorial judgment about whether to run without White House comment.

Organizational Goals
Publish a major investigative scoop that holds power accountable. Maintain editorial independence and timeliness (avoid being scooped or delayed).
Influence Mechanisms
Threat of publication and front-page placement. Moral framing (public's right to know) and journalistic norms. Persistence of reporters and sourcing from abroad to create pressure.
S4E22 · Commencement
Danny's Bombshell and C.J.'s Tactical Delay

Danny's newspaper is the force pushing disclosure: its editorial independence and willingness to publish a front-page allegation create leverage over the White House and an imminent deadline that drives the scene's urgency.

Active Representation

Manifested directly through Danny as reporter and emissary of the paper's editorial decision to run the story absent convincing cause to delay.

Power Dynamics

Exerting pressure on the White House via public exposure; exercises agenda-setting power despite being institutionally weaker than the government.

Institutional Impact

The newspaper's threat to publish destabilizes the usual information asymmetry, forcing the executive to act publicly or risk being seen as unaccountable.

Internal Dynamics

Implied newsroom confidence in Danny's reporting and an editorial threshold (lives-in-danger exception) that shapes their decision to publish or delay.

Organizational Goals
Publish a major scoop exposing possible government wrongdoing. Maintain journalistic independence and hold power to account. Protect its credibility by ensuring the story runs when supported by verifiable evidence.
Influence Mechanisms
Threat of front-page publication and public scrutiny. Editorial judgment and newsroom backing for the reporter's deadline. Reputational pressure that forces governmental response.