In the wake of the Genoa debacle, the team decides to use caution in reporting a major breaking story. Neal is contacted by an anonymous source in possession of stolen government documents; Sloan looks to solve a takeover puzzle. When the team attends the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, Mac makes an unexpected acquaintance and Will gets a surprise.

Although based on the life of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, the movie was deemed so controversial that it was recalled from distribution and not released until after Hearst's death. It introduced many original and revolutionary techniques that have since been adopted as film standards.