Editing The West Wing (section)

===Realism===
While ''The West Wing'' is not completely accurate in its portrayal of the actual West Wing,<ref name="fact_fiction_2001_07_08_nytimes_com">{{cite web |last=Seelye |first=Katharine Q |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/08/national/west-wing-fact-and-fiction.html |title=Q&A: 'West Wing' Fact and Fiction |date=July 8, 2001 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=June 15, 2020 |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618171937/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/08/national/west-wing-fact-and-fiction.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="the_real_west_wing_cspan_org">{{cite video |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?176333-1/real-west-wing |title=The Real West Wing |publisher=[[C-SPAN]] |date=April 24, 2003 |access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Levine">Levine, Myron A. "''The West Wing'' and the West Wing." Reprinted in ''The West Wing: The American Presidency as Television Drama''. Edited by Peter C. Rollins and John E. Connor. 2003.</ref> former White House staffers and journalists have described the show as capturing its feel.<ref name="fact_fiction_2001_07_08_nytimes_com" /><ref name="the_real_west_wing_cspan_org" /><ref name="Miller">{{cite journal |first=Matthew |last=Miller |url=http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/news/archives/2000/03/the_real_white.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426115423/http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/news/archives/2000/03/the_real_white.html |title=The Real White House |journal=Brill's Content |date=March 1, 2000 |archive-date=April 26, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> President [[Gerald Ford]]'s daughter [[Susan Ford|Susan]] made the comment "I can't watch [the show]. They turn left and right where you are not supposed to."<ref name="nevius20040122">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Just-ask-Chelsea-Jenna-and-Barbara-Escaping-the-2808210.php |title=Just ask Chelsea, Jenna and Barbara: Escaping the glare of the spotlight isn't easy for kids whose dads work in the Oval Office |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=January 22, 2004 |access-date=March 4, 2012 |first=C. W. |last=Nevius |archive-date=October 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018134742/http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Just-ask-Chelsea-Jenna-and-Barbara-Escaping-the-2808210.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Some West Wing veterans have said it exaggerates the formality and volume of chatter in the West Wing, under-represents the number of people involved in a decision, and over-idealizes its occupants.<ref name="fact_fiction_2001_07_08_nytimes_com" /><ref name="the_real_west_wing_cspan_org" />

Former Senate aide [[Lawrence O'Donnell]] and former White House aide and presidential campaign speechwriter [[Eli Attie]] were both longtime writers on the show (O'Donnell for seasons 1–2 and 5–7, Attie for seasons 3–7).  Former [[White House Press Secretary|White House Press Secretaries]] [[Dee Dee Myers]] and [[Marlin Fitzwater]] and pollsters [[Patrick Caddell]] and [[Frank Luntz]] also served as consultants, advising the writing staff for part of the show's run. Other former White House staffers, such as [[Peggy Noonan]] and [[Gene Sperling]], served as consultants for brief periods.

A documentary special in the third season compared the show's depiction of the West Wing to the real thing. Many former West Wing denizens applauded the show's depiction of the West Wing, including advisor [[David Gergen]], [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Henry Kissinger]], Chief of Staff [[Leon Panetta]], Deputy Chief of Staff [[Karl Rove]], and former Presidents [[Gerald Ford]], [[Jimmy Carter]], and [[Bill Clinton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2002/04/22/west-wing-episode-acts-as-documentary-with-real-life-politicos-in-the-mix/ |title='West Wing' Episode Acts As Documentary With Real-life Politicos In The Mix |agency=[[Cox News Service]] |date=April 22, 2002 |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |access-date=September 18, 2010 |archive-date=June 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614031430/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2002-04-22/news/0204210425_1_west-wing-creator-aaron-sorkin-president-george-w |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4zbFGMQQg |title=Interviews With President Carter {{!}} The West Wing |date=January 13, 2025 |last=The West Wing |access-date=January 28, 2025 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

While critics often praised ''The West Wing'' for its writing, others faulted the show as unrealistically optimistic<ref>{{cite news |first=Joyce |last=Millman |url=http://www.salon.com/2000/09/11/emmys_2000/ |title=Don't blame me, I voted for Martin Sheen! |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |date=September 11, 2000 |access-date=December 10, 2005 |archive-date=July 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701103755/http://www.salon.com/2000/09/11/emmys_2000/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and sentimental.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2009/oct/23/the-thick-of-it-armando-iannucci |title=The Thick of It: cynical, cruel and lacking in heart |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=October 23, 2009 |access-date=November 11, 2009 |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112031335/http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2009/oct/23/the-thick-of-it-armando-iannucci |url-status=live }}</ref> A large part of this criticism came from the perceived naiveté of the characters. Television critic [[Heather Havrilesky]] asked, "What rock did these morally pure creatures crawl out from under and, more important, how do you go from innocent millipede to White House staffer without becoming soiled or disillusioned by the dirty realities of politics along the way?"<ref>{{cite web |first=Heather |last=Havrilesky |url=http://www.salon.com/2003/05/14/west_wing_5/ |title=Will ''The West Wing'' go south? |date=May 14, 2003 |access-date=December 10, 2005 |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023052215/http://www.salon.com/2003/05/14/west_wing_5/ |url-status=live }}</ref>