Aaron Sorkin Responds to The Newsroom Critics, Insists Writing Staff Wasn't Fired

The Social Network writer faces reporters, says show's female characters are treated the same as the male

Tough room.

No one thought it would be pretty when The Newsroom creator Aaron Sorkin had to tackle tough questions at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. And it wasn't, but it could have been a lot worse. 

You're [Not] Fired: Despite previous reports Sorkin insists: "The writing staff was not fired. But seeing that in print is scaring the hell out of the writing staff." He also wanted to specifically clarify that Corinne Kingsbury was erroneously reported as his ex-girlfriend. She's not. But Sorkin does admit to some movement in the writers' room: "A couple of staffing changes were made and that included promoting two writers' assistants to story editors."

Ignoring the Critics: Sorkin doesn't really care what you think; in fact he thinks the varied opinions are good for the television landscape: "Anytime someone is talking about a television show this much is good for television." Jeff Daniels doesn't listen to the critics' opinions, either: "It took me a long time, as an actor, to stop reading [the critics]. It took years."

Banana Peels: One of the consistant criticisms of how the show is how it portrays the female characters as at times bumbling. "I completely respect that opinion, but I 100 percent disagree," Sorkin responds. "I think the female characters on the show are not just talked about being good at their job, they are—you plainly see that they are good at their job." But he does admit to injecting humor into their personalities. "Once you've nailed that down, you can slip on as many banana peels as you want."

Additional Support: Sorkin admits to limited knowledge in the news and political field. "Political opinions that I have are at the level of someone that has a BFA in musical theatre," Sorkin admits. So they will be hiring consultants for season two.