Broadcast News Page #15

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ON MONITOR:

UNIFORMED COP:

What can you do? If a woman invites

a man in and he says they uh, had

sex and she says he raped her and

then you find out they've been out

together two, three times...how can

you prove a crime?

NEW SHOT ON MONITOR

Tom and a woman of about thirty -- dignified but fragile -- she

looks like someone who might be cast for a church production

of "Glass Menagerie."

YOUNG WOMAN:

It will be a year next month since it

happened...I never thought I'd talk

about it outside of counseling...

ON NEWSROOM:

As Aaron enters the scene.

AARON:

Hi.

He is shushed by every woman in the room, accepts this and takes

up a position near Tom and Jane to watch them.

ON MONITOR:

YOUNG WOMAN:

We'd gone out twice and I hadn't

enjoyed myself that much but it gets

to a point -- I don't know if you can

appreciate this but where you don't

want to sit home or be with your

girlfriends and people had always been

telling me that I was 'too picky.'

I'm not. It's just you want to meet

a nice guy...So anyways, it was that

'give-him-a-chance' thing. No, it

wasn't. I was lonely. So we went

to a movie and when he brought me home

he said could he just come up and have

one beer and then he'd go. How do you

say 'no', to that? So first it was

this wrestling match which was awful

enough because it got to be really

a fight...because I'm a modest person...

then he ripped my clothes and he

forced me to...make love. He stayed in

my apartment and forced me more times

-- he didn't leave until...

(she has started to cry)

I promised myself I wouldn't cry...

It's just hard not to --

(ruefully)

You sure have a sympathetic face.

(she cries a bit more)

...I was so sure I wouldn't do this --

but the whole thing messed me up --

maybe more than it should...

ON MONITOR:

As the news piece cut to: Tom's face -- he turns clearing a tear

from his eyes.

ON NEWSROOM:

These watching struck -- perhaps embarrassed but riveted. Aaron

is aghast. Aaron approaches the set.

AARON:

Can I turn on the news for a second?

...Oh, wait a minute. Sex -- Tears --

This must be the news.

Tom stares daggers at him as a public official appears on the

monitor.

ON MONITOR:

PUBLIC OFFICIAL:

I don't think you can overestimate it --

on any given Saturday night tens of

thousands of women are being attacked

and there isn't much they or we can do

about it...

TOM:

(on monitor)

The victims often remain too terrified

to talk -- the police powerless and all

the social welfare groups can finally do

is monitor this epidemic of crime without

punishment. This is Tom Grunick in

Annandale, Virginia.

As his piece concludes.

NEWSROOM:

Tom continues to glare at Aaron.

AARON:

I'm in a pissy mood. I'm sorry.

TOM:

What's wrong with it?

AARON:

Nothing. I think you really blew

the lid off nookie.

Blair moans with displeasure. Aaron exits scene. Others start

to congratulate Tom on the piece -- in the b.g. on the:

MONITOR:

We SEE frozen wilderness -- men digging in the ground -- clumps

of people watching them work.

ON JANE:

Probing her own ambivalence -- or, to be more accurate, working

towards a positive stance.

JANE:

(to Tom)

Nice work...

(checks watch)

I've got to get a crew off the clock.

She starts off -- Tom stopping her.

ON TOM AND JANE:

Now off a bit by themselves.

TOM:

So what did you think?

JANE:

It moved me. I did relate to it -- I

really did. It was unusual for you to

cut to yourself when you tear up -- and

that might not have been my choice...but

it's real and it got me...and I think a

lot of the time I'm too conservative about

that kind of stuff. Okay?

TOM:

(enormously pleased)

Yeah.

He walks back towards the area of the monitor.

ON MONITOR:

JENNIFER:

Tomorrow the jury returns to this

site as each day brings more revelations

of horror, four more bodies now taken

from the frozen earth...This is Jennifer

Mack in Wota Hamlet, Alaska.

INT. NEWSROOM - TWO WEEKS LATER (SPRING) - DAY

BLAIR:

Ernie's been looking for you.

As Aaron walks to his office.

INT. AARON'S OFFICE - DAY

As he enters and finds Ernie bent over his desk.

ERNIE:

Oh, I was just writing you a note.

What do you say we take a walk?

AARON:

(puzzled)

Outside?

ERNIE:

Yeah --

EXT. WASHINGTON STREET - DAY

Ernie is silent... He's having difficulty. Aaron is feeling knots

form. Finally Ernie breaks his silence.

ERNIE:

I don't know if we have any

younger man more respected in our

operation than you.

AARON:

Just tell me what's really going

on. I think we know each other

well enough for me to expect that.

ERNIE:

(agitated)

We know each other well enough

for me to care how I put something

to you which could wipe you out.

So I will phrase things the way I

think they should be phrased. All

right?

AARON:

Wipe me out?

Ernie sits on a bench.

ERNIE:

Anyway. I want you to think of this as...

AARON:

Just blunt talk, okay? I'd really

appreciate bluntness.

ERNIE:

Upper management thinks you're dull.

Aaron deflates.

ERNIE:

Aaron, I've never seen them like

this -- I think Paul's nervous

about his own job and for some

reason he thinks you only appeal to...

AARON:

Wait. Bullshit me a little...I'm

beginning to appreciate it.

ERNIE:

I'm no suggesting the worst will

happen...but someone with your

brilliance gets nibbles about other

jobs and maybe, the next time that

happens, down the road -- you should

look into it.

AARON:

(emotional)

Ah, damn -- the f***ing jerks -- My,

God. They want to fire me.

ERNIE:

All I know is that they've got to

fire a large number of people...

and they're not going by seniority.

There's a recklessness in the air.

They...

AARON:

(interrupting)

Do one thing to me? Get me one shot

at anchoring the Weekend News -- they've

never seen me do it. I think it could

turn them around.

ERNIE:

I could do it this Saturday -- everyone

wants off for the Correspondents' Dinner.

Aaron turns -- his spirit lifted by the unexpected ray of hope.

AARON:

Do it then.

ERNIE:

Please prepare carefully. This

couldn't come at a better time.

AARON:

Prepare what? You have Saturday's

news handy?

ERNIE:

It's been a while since you read

the news -- I'll have somebody work

with you. Just on superficial

performance things.

Several beats.

ERNIE (cont'd)

Please.

AARON:

Okay. I think I'd better be alone

for a while.

ERNIE:

I understand. I'll go with you.

AARON:

Thanks.

INT. SMALL TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT

Aaron is seated behind a desk -- some old news copy in

his hand. An unmanned camera is pointing at him. Tom

is standing a few feet further back studying him.

AARON:

This is uncomfortable for me --

because, well, I don't mean it as

a knock, but we approach this

differently.

TOM:

We sure do. I don't mean it as a

knock either.

(he smiles)

Go ahead. I'll just say what I think

and you can disregard it if you want.

AARON:

It just might not work for me because

of our different approaches.

Tom nods and gestures that he proceed. Aaron begins reading

the news. Barely a sentence in, he is interrupted.

TOM:

Wait.

AARON:

What?

TOM:

Your coat jacket is rising up in

back.

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