An Investigation into the Portrayal or Truth Within the Documentary Genre

Firstly, it is important to understand how the documentary form is best suited to illustrate the film’s theme. In order to do this, one must have an overview of the documentary style of filmmaking. Documentaries concern themselves with the “exploration of

The idea of a documentary being an artistic or even personalised expression of a director is long gone, or so it seems in recent times. In Michael Moore’s latest documentary, Bowling for Columbine, he attempts to get across to viewers his, and essentially only his point of view, on the topic of gun laws. Although what Moore is trying to say is not necessarily wrong, he is at the same time not taking into account the other side of the argument either; all he is trying to do, essentially is hypnotise viewers into thinking

The American journalist and politician Clare Boothe Luce spoke out to a group of journalists to make her statement on the press. The time Luce’s speech was presented, it was 1960; a much different time from how press runs today. Back in the sixties, press was presented in the form of newspapers or by word of mouth, whereas today press appears on a computer screen. In Luce’s speech she states, “It is- to use the big word- the pursuit of and the effort to state the truth.” (L.39). This statement concludes that the author views the whole point of the press to tell the truth. Whether the topic is on the food industry or on economics, press brings information to the people in an honest fashion. Back in this time Clare used many rhetorical

With regards to Walter Lippman’s quote in 1922, it is fair to dispute that ‘News is just someone’s version of events’. Due to the changing society over the past years since the quote and the increased number of factors to consider, it raises the question of how precise, accurate and relevant this quotation is in the present day. However, some factors must be considered when debating the credibility of the quotation: ‘news is just someone’s version of events,’ as it can be affected by a number of reasons. These can include factually based stories, changing market conditions, partisan and ‘churnalism’; more specifically- ‘flat earth’ stories. Therefore, when considering these factors affecting news stories, it is can be argued that news isn’t ‘someone’s version of events’, because the article is either purely fact and leaves no room for opinion, or the version of events or news story has been manipulated due to changing market conditions or ‘churnalism’. However, when a news story is initially sought, it is also believed that a reporter should find a story and that the news story is true and a chronological order of the events in which the reporter witnessed at the time, furthermore supporting the quotation. On top of this, when biased media organisations include their opinion or political stance, this can also be argued that it is ‘their ‘version of events.’

Due to the results of the Leveson inquiry, much has changed for the ways in which the British Press must work within the parameters of Media law. The inquiry has left much of the public untrusting and suspicious of journalism as a practice, and after the publishing of Leveson’s report, it is as though they are just waiting for another slip-up by media institutions.

er the the years the documentary genre has been seen to have evolved and as to has the definition of a documentary. A documentary is an informative, non-fiction genre that presents the idea of ‘reality’ to audience members and relates to the idea of a text having common elements of which the audience can relate and identify. In the documentary, “Bowling for Columbine” directed by Michael Moore (2002), we as an audience follow Moore as he explores America’s violent history and whilst making us more aware of gun control in America he is also altering viewers opinions on gun control. This reading will explore the documentary conventions of interviews, montage and hand-held camera featured in Bowling For Columbine and question whether Michael Moore has used these conventions to subtly influence the way the audience feel about gun control in America whilst also manipulating the film to make it look like “reality”.

Documentaries are produced in such a way that positions the audience to accept a version of reality. As Tim Hetherington, a British photojournalist once said, “You can construct whatever story you want to. Documentaries are constructions, as is all journalism.” In Fahrenheit 9/11 specifically, viewers are presented with a critical analysis of the political agenda surrounding America’s decision to wage war on Iraq. Directed by American political commentator and filmmaker Michael Moore and released in mid-2004, the documentary’s central premise is that US President George Bush is, and has been from the start of his term, unfit for office and does not act in interests of the American public. Moore presents the idea that President Bush, as a result

As a viewer, the documentary’s intention to inform is more completely fulfilled by research conducted beyond the scope of the camera lens. Had I never written this paper, for instance, the reason for all the violence embedded within the subject matter would remain as enigmatic as the documentary itself.

When the documentary was produced, media exposure was limited to private and expensive mediums such as television, movies and radio. These outlets were plagued with marketing agendas designed to sell products under the guise of authentic music and entertainment. Formerly non-existent cultural archetypes such as the

Journalism is an industry that provides a source of information and news for the public, while popular culture is a source of portrayal of the image of the journalist. Popular culture provides a glimpse and “shapes the people’s impressions of the news media”, whether it is portrayed in a positive or negative light. There is no denying that popular culture possesses a large effect on what the public perceives and thinks about journalists and the industry through how the characters, plotlines are presented. Sociologists have even argued that “popular culture’s depictions…of real world professions” have a major influence on the public’s realistic perception of that respective field. Thus, it is not a surprise that in the 1930s, journalist organizations deliberately advocated positive portrayals of the press in Hollywood. An example of a film that stands as a positive representation is The Front Page. Although the film presents reporters and editors “lying and hurting innocent people”, the audience is able to fall for their unique charm and charisma—they are brash, fast-paced, intelligent, composed, independent, passionate and investigative. They embody what America ultimately champions: self-reliance, drive for action and accomplishment. However, popular culture also perpetuates negative, unlovable notions that “journalists [are] hard drinking, foul-mouthed social misfits concerned with only twisting the truth”. In novels like John Andross written by Rebecca Harding

Documentaries also include films which are intended to ‘expose’ and often carry interviews, for example Michael Moore’s films on social concerns

Documentaries use diverse tools to make their subject matter accessible for the audiences, as well as they can while still staying true to their reportage. One of these methods is dramatisation, or re-enactment, where historical events are replicated on the camera for different purposes. This essay will discuss this blend between fact and fiction in the context of SAS – Embassy Siege, a BBC2 documentary reported by Peter Taylor (2002). The actual events took place 22 years earlier, in 1980, when six armed men went to the Iranian Embassy in London and took 26 hostages. The documentary is constructed from the contemporary news footages as well as current interviews of the people involved in the multiple sides of this event. The essay will

The Holding Ground documentary was powerful and highly effective in showing the struggle of the Dudley Street and the Roxbury neighborhood and their struggle to in effect take back their neighborhoods. The people in the video were passionate about their community and faced many obstacles like illegal dumping and arson for profit as well as a committee of people who had no idea about the community making decisions without having anyone in the community representing them. In the documentary, Robert Holmes, Jr a Trustee at the Riley Foundation discussed how the board was having a community meeting. He originally thought that Che Madyun was sent in as an agitator. He then realized that she was just passion about her community and had valid points.

The author of this article, a woman named Megan K. Fox, describes several documentaries and how they showed bias in presenting evidence for the subject. She writes that it is extremely difficult for documentary filmmakers to remain objective as, even unconsciously, we become partial towards our existing views on the topic. Fox makes it clear what the most common ways we fail to be impartial in documentaries are, including making the subjects aware they are being filmed, failure to explore already biased topics, and issues with making decisions on what to edit after filming ends.

The historical ravages of wars, epic pandemics spanning civilizations, holocausts of cultures, and innovations of the greatest destruction and Promethean miracles, all promulgated by a system of journalistic bravery. The future, and the past, of our global growth is both fractured and galvanized by the constant instigation of investigation. Journalism is a shared exodus of information, mercurial as the current events it patrons. The history of such a coalition is a behind the scenes unto the history of humanity, rife with vital evidence and worldly consequence. Revelations unearthed by journalists have been undeniably pivotal, and yet centuries after the Dark Ages mighty swathes of nations still