Object
Situation Room Wall Television Monitor (Broadcast Monitor)
A wall‑level, dark‑bezel television monitor that relays live news and official broadcasts into the Situation Room. The screen throws a cold, clinical glow across the conference table; images arrive as a grainy, authoritative feed of spoken statements and on‑screen graphics. Staff shift their posture toward the glass, voices quieting as the broadcast supplies a new datum. Buttons or integrated controls sit out of sight; the unit functions as an immediate, room‑facing window onto external media rather than a domestic appliance.
4 appearances
Purpose
To display live televised broadcasts and official feeds so senior staff can receive, verify, and react to public statements and breaking news in real time.
Significance
Acts as the evidentiary conduit that converts distant rhetoric into an actionable crisis: the televised statement supplies the justification that accelerates the nuclear timetable, fixes the 1500 deadline, and forces the team into urgent decision‑making. The monitor triggers shifts in tone, attention, and command priorities among Bartlet and his advisers.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used