C.J.'s Newspaper — Want Ads Section (folded broadsheet; S1E03, S1E18)

; classifieds/want-ads section used in non-SOTU press scenes in S1E03 and S1E18

6 appearances

Purpose

To provide classified listings (employment, services, personal notices) and to function as a tangible, consultable newspaper prop that characters use during scene business.

Significance

Serves as a mundane, physical reminder of the press’s presence and vulnerability; its casual handling underlines the staff’s awareness of impending publication and heightens the threat of a damaging memo running in the newspapers, converting private strategy into public risk.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

6 moments

S1E3 · A Proportional Response

Donna's Lobby Power Play — The Leak and the Raise

C.J.'s folded broadsheet sits on Josh's desk and becomes a visible prop for her authority: she reads it while waiting, then uses its presence to puncture Josh when she confronts him—turning private admonishment into a publicly staged rebuke.

Before: Resting on Josh's cluttered desk within easy reach as a neutral prop.

After: Still on the desk; its presence now frames the confrontation and underscores C.J.'s readiness to publicly call out staff.

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S1E3 · A Proportional Response

Ambushed: C.J. Confronts Josh

C.J.'s folded broadsheet newspaper is physically present when she ambushes Josh: she sits on his desk reading it, using the paper as a prop of calm control. The newspaper visually punctures the scene, signaling C.J.'s confident, accusatory posture and converting ordinary newsprint into an instrument of scathing reproach.

Before: Within arm's reach of C.J.; folded and thumb-marked as she uses it to occupy herself before confronting Josh.

After: Remains in C.J.'s possession while she delivers the rebuke; continues to be a visual emphasis of her composure.

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S1E3 · A Proportional Response

Lobby Blowup: Sam's Scandal Meets Presidential Fury

C.J.'s folded broadsheet anchors her composure at the outset; she closes it and uses its presence as a visual punctuation while delivering the accusation. The newspaper symbolizes media exposure and the inevitability of tabloid framing should the story leak.

Before: On Josh's desk, folded and in C.J.'s hands while she reads it.

After: Put away as C.J. rises and moves into the hallway; remains a silent symbol of press danger.

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S1E3 · A Proportional Response

Toby Reports Bartlet's Volatility — Private Scandal Meets National Crisis

C.J.'s folded newspaper functions as a domestic, controlled prop: she closes and folds it while confronting Josh, using it as a physical focus and punctuation for her rebuke before moving the argument into the hallway. It signals calm control and journalistic awareness of media stakes.

Before: In C.J.'s hands, draped over Josh's desk surface while she reads.

After: Folded and likely tucked away or carried as they exit into the hallway; no further onstage use in this scene.

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S1E18 · Six Meetings Before Lunch

When Policy Turns Personal (and Then Flirtatious)

C.J. references and later says she'll 'go check the want ads,' using the folded newspaper's want‑ads section as a comic, mundane refuge from political stress. The object anchors a brief tonal shift toward private, human responses to stress and signals C.J.'s attempt to regain normalcy by performing a small, ordinary task.

Before: Within arm's reach in the communications office, folded and accessible.

After: Picked up or consulted by C.J. as she leaves to do a small, grounding errand.

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S1E18 · Six Meetings Before Lunch

Ambush Report — C.J. Must Hold the Line

The folded want-ads broadsheet is referenced at the scene's end as C.J.'s next, mundanely comic action; it functions as an antidote to crisis talk and a character beat that returns the room to quotidian tasks after the crisis instruction.

Before: Sitting within arm's reach in the communications area, unread and available as a distractive object.

After: C.J. announces she will check the want-ads and moves toward them, indicating a shift to routine distraction and small control.

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