We Just Decided To " is the first episode of the first season of the American television series '' The Newsroom '' . It first aired on June 24 , 2012 in the United States on HBO . " We Just Decided To " was written by creator Aaron Sorkin and directed by Greg Mottola . In the aftermath of his public tirade , acclaimed Atlantis Cable News anchor Will McAvoy ( Jeff Daniels ) returns to his job to find that most of his staff are leaving and his new executive producer is his ex-girlfriend , MacKenzie McHale ( Emily Mortimer ) and when some breaking news about a potentially disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico hits the network , the staff faces a new challenge
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
We Just Decided To