In the aftermath of his public tirade, news anchor Will McAvoy returns to his job to find most of his staff are leaving. An immediate challenge faces Will & his overhauled staff when breaking news comes over the wire.

Mac asserts control over the new incarnation of News Night and enlists a beautiful on-air economist. Jim takes the fall for a Maggie miscue while Charlie forbids Reese from continuing his furtive meetings with Will.

In an on-air editorial, Will apologises for past newscasts & promises a new era of integrity for News Night. His new approach rankles the CEO of ACN's parent company, who warns that Will's stance will not be tolerated.

A New Year's Eve confrontation lands Will in the tabloids. Against Reese's wishes, Will refuses to follow the media rumour mill and makes a call on a breaking story.

While covering the ejection of Egypt's president, the team learns of a protest in Wisconsin over budget cuts detrimental to public sector union employees, leading everyone to try to cover both stories simultaneously.

Insomnia drives Will to keep a long-standing therapy appointment. Sloan pushes too hard during the Japanese nuclear crisis and Will comes to recognise the cause & effect of being a bully.

Staff cut short their one-year anniversary party and rush back to the newsroom amidst a flurry of speculation when they learn the President will be making an impromptu national address on a matter of national security.

The refusal to lead with a pair of sensational stories causes ratings to plummet and forces Will & Mac to abandon their principles in order to lure back viewers & shore up the network's bid to land a Republican debate.

Will and the staff stage a mock debate for a pair of Republican Party officials. Mac has an epiphany during a power outage, Charlie vets an NSA insider's credibility and Lisa goes off-script during an on-air interview.

In the season finale, Nina Howard's damning revelation jeopardises Will's future at ACN. Meanwhile, Will, Mac and Charlie face off with Leona and Reese during a tension-filled lunch meeting.

Will and the "News Night" staff are questioned by their lawyer about a story that's become a network crisis. An on-air remark by Will has him pulled from 9/11 anniversary coverage. Jim volunteers to cover on the Romney campaign and Neal investigates Occupy Wall Street.

A tip on a story that will ultimately cripple the network starts to become more real. Mac and Sloan continue to push Will on drones as Don urges Will to advocate for Troy Davis. Maggie gets the assignment she's been begging for, while Neal gets arrested on Wall Street.

Will continues his mission to civilise by telling Nina Howard the truth. A new witness to the Genoa story emerges on Twitter, and in New Hampshire, Jim's efforts to have his questions answered continue to fall on deaf ears.

Maggie tries to convince Rebecca she's fine following her shattering trip to Africa with Gary. An Occupy Wall Street protester with a Black Op lead refuses to cooperate with Neal and Jerry after an on-air interview with Will goes poorly.

Will is distracted during his telecast by a phone call and an unflattering twitter post. Charlie gets a visit from a long-time friend from Naval Intelligence, who has knowledge of Operation Genoa, and Sloan phases from humiliation to rage following a revenge posting.

Mac and Charlie score a key witness in their attempt to corroborate Dantana's Operation Genoa story. Will follows Nina's lead to soften his image by making an impromptu appearance on a morning talk show, and Jim gets unexpected company during his reunion with Hallie.

Through depositions with the newsroom staff, Rebecca pieces together the events that led to ACN's fateful decision to go forward with Dantana's special report. The repercussions threaten to ruin News Night while eclipsing breaking news during another 9/11 anniversary.

In the wake of Leona's refusal to accept the resignations of three top ACN talents, News Night goes forward with its 2012 election-night coverage. Mindful that Charlie wants a screw-up-free evening, Jim weighs the cons of retracting a call he made too soon.

As Election Night 2012 winds down, Will and Charlie await a decision from Reese that may impact their future at ACN, and that of the entire senior staff. Don discusses a countersuit against Dantana with Rebecca, and Will has a revelation while Charlie is sharing his.

Will, Mac and the team decide to err on the side of caution in reporting a major breaking story. Neal faces a slippery slope when he's contacted by a source in possession of stolen government documents revealing how false press stories spawned fatal riots in Kundu.

With Rebecca tasked with defending ACN in a likely lawsuit, Will tries to protect Neal from the fallout over the DOD leak. Charlie and Leona enter the fray of a hostile-takeover ploy involving Reese's half-siblings, while Sloan fears Don may be guilty of insider trading

Leona and Reece look to raise cash in order to salvage ACN and thwart Blair and Randy. Will gets a surprise at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, while Charlie trades visions with ACN suitor Lucas Pruit. Maggie's EPA scoop makes it to "News Night".

Facing a court subpoena and possible incarceration for contempt, Will stands firm in refusing to reveal the source of the stolen DOD documents. As Charlie's disdain for Lucas grows, Sloan and Mac scramble to find a more acceptable 11th-hour buyer for ACN.

Jailed for contempt, Will refuses to reveal Neal's government source. Capitulating to Pruit's vision for ACN, Charlie orders Don to track down the college principals in an abuse case. Jim and Maggie look to board a Cuban-bound plane, hoping to quiz one of its passengers

A colleague's death leads Will and Mac to ponder the milestones that transformed the newsroom, and to look ahead towards ACN's uncertain future. Maggie lands a field-producer interview, Neal's digital site is shut down for repairs, and Leona offers sage advice to Pruit.