Reliability of the Media

934 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of editing in film

Reliability of the Media

Growing up in America today means being exposed to numerous half truths. These are readily found on the television, newspapers, radio, and movies. The truth is hardly ever told in its complete form. Take for instance the local news broadcast, we watch it and take it for truth. We tend to give credibility to these newscasters based on the fact that they are representing major broadcast stations. These stations are supposed to be reliable and credible sources of information. In reality the facts are rarely ever told in complete form to the public. Bits and pieces of collected information is dressed up and edited to create a “news item”. Many times a station has to retract statements due to over-embellishment. The whole point in their doing this is to maintain an audience. Movie directors are masters of this technique. Movies based on historical events usually rely heavily on dramatization. It is the job of a movie director to gain and maintain the interest of the audience. As an audience we tend to take what we view as truth. Sometimes the dramatization is so extreme that the fictionalization masks the reality.

The movie “Mississippi Burning” is an example of this type of media process. As an audience we are led to believe that the story is based on real life and that these actual events happened exactly the way it was portrayed, when in fact there are great differences in the movie and what really happened. Some of the events were changed, people ...

Show More
Related

  • Fallacies In Oliver Stone's JFK

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    In today's day and age, it's rare to see famous historical events and societal disasters not be picked apart by film directors and then transformed into a box office hit. What these films do is put a visual perspective on these events, sometimes leaving viewers speculating if whatever was depicted is in fact entirely true. I have never felt that feeling more than after I finished watching Oliver Stone’s JFK.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Media Has Gone Downhill

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    The media takes a biased approach on the news that they cover, giving their audience an incomplete view of what had actually happened in a story. Most people believe that they are not “being propagandized or being in some way manipulated” into thinking a certain way or hearing certain “truths” told by their favorite media outlets (Greenwald 827). In reality, everyone is susceptible to suggestion as emphasized in the article “Limiting Democracy: The American Media’s World View, and Ours.” The

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Film Cold Mountain

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are a great deal of outstanding movies about historical events. While watching these movies, people don’t usually think about the historical accuracy of the film. They are just drawn into the action, plot, and how well the actors play their roles. The truth behind these movies is somewhat accurate, but writers tend to add in a lot of fiction to capture the audience’s attention. The same goes for the award winning film Cold Mountain.

    Read More

  • Hidden Agendas in Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music

    3290 Words  | 7 Pages

    [1] Within the last few decades, we have generated a great number of “historical” films reaching the American public. With these “historical” films come the question of whether or not the film portrayed history in an accurate manner; if not, why were the facts manipulated the way that they were. Unfortunately, this question is usually answered in the negative, and the audience is left with a fictional account of a factual happening, thereby giving the viewing public mixed messages concerning the issues raised within the film. Film used in this manner can be a dangerous tool in the hands of powerful people with agendas and ulterior motives.

    Read More

  • Fahrenheit 451 Propaganda Analysis

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Media platforms like television and radio primarily spread propaganda created by the government. Citizens spend a lot of time watching television or listening to the radio and it’s a big part of their life. Almost everyone in the city owns a television or radio and believes things they see and hear from them. Montag escapes the police, but the T.V. chase is still playing out because they don’t want people to know that they let a fugitive get away. They found an innocent man on the street, labeled him as Montag, then killed him on the broadcast. “‘They’re faking. You threw them off at the river. They can’t admit it. They know they can hold their audience only so long. The show’s got to have a snap ending, quick!’... ‘The innocent man stood bewildered’… ‘The victim was seized by Hound and camera in a great spidering, clenching grip’” -Granger (Bradsbury 142). Media propaganda is so powerful today because everyone is susceptible to it. The press (newspapers, magazines, and T.V.) uses their tactics to shape people’s opinions. According to Johnnie Manzaria, the press is important because the most current news and info is spread through them everyday. People can believe anything the media says, because they have a popular opinion or reputation. Even if they spread propaganda, some people will inevitably believe it because “the news said so”, and is a very influential resource ("Media's Use of Propaganda to Persuade

    Read More

  • Concepts in Film Theory and Criticism. Robert Rosenstone states: "Film emotionalizes, personalizes, and dramatizes history. Through actors and his...

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    A true representation of history in film is almost impossible to achieve, this is due to the limitations of source materials the filmmakers who create the films have. In the modern day, photographs and video footage of historical events are available but these resources don’t depict everything which has happened. Emotion and what happens in historical events are two of the main things that these resources do not depict, what happens in event and human emotion can only be experienced by either people who are involved in the historical event or by the person who is being portrayed. Even then the event experienced can be falsely accounted for due to time in terms of memory or quite simply human error. Another main problem with historical depiction in film is that many films, especially Hollywood films, have one main goal, to create profits. This is achieved by the entertainment value of a film, if a film is entertaining an audience will follow, which leads to the film creating revenue. One of the main arguments raised about historical films is that they distort the past. Many Hollywood films have to use certain techniques and convention to ensure that it makes revenue, these conventions lead to filmmakers adding more to history via film such as love interests, more appealing action sequences and changing the look of the events to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Hollywood, Historical war films which depict rivalries between nations have been affected by this method with has led to the films not being an honest representation of history. This essay will discuss how historical representation in the films Braveheart, Pearl Harbor and Lincoln has been falsely and honestly depicted to create a more narratively and visually entertai...

    Read More

  • Frozen Film Analysis

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    Screen Junkies have two Honest Trailers”300” and “Frozen” that have been hilariously broken down for the audience. In 300 the audience views the movie in a “blend of historical truth” (Screen Junkies), since the it has to do with Spartans. Screen Junkies is not only trying to make one laugh with their critics but it is also letting the reader know that the movie is based on many other things other than just Spartans. The language in the movie creates the reader to be “detecting gaps and contradictions” (Mays 1310) due to it not being completely honest. Many historical movies are not exactly based on what happened in the past but just a form of

    Read More

  • Allegory Of The Cave Essay

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    Through media, our judgements, our beliefs, our minds, are developed by the constant stimulation of a biased society. The shadows presented to the prisoners may not be reality, but a generalization of what exists on the outside. The media does the same to us. We are only exposed to controlled material, which is presented to motivate us to believe, buy, or participate in a desired

    Read More

  • Film Critique On The Deer Hunter

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...are not spreading information primarily for money. The reason why movies are mostly fictional is because the point of a movie is to make money and the makers of the movie won't get people to come to the theaters without a plot. The plot usually does not contain a character based on a historical figure, but even if it is based on a true story, there are fabrications to save money in the budget. For example, the Oliver Stone, who directed Born on the Fourth of July, filmed a scene at Syracuse University that took place in Washington because filming the scene at the nation's capital would've been too expensive (After the Fact page 404). In the end, money is probably the reason for the exaggeration of historical events in films. If screenwriters didn't have to be concerned with making a movie attractive to viewers, they could stick to the historical truth more often.

    Read More

  • The Quiz Show

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ctual roles, or adding in exciting events that revise the storyline. These changes are beneficial to producers because they engage a large audience and generate massive profits. In contrast, they do not always have a positive effect on viewers. Although they are entertaining which is an important aspect of theatre culture, they also are often misguiding. Many spectators take movies at face value, without considering that they may not exactly qualify as primary source material. Even when an historical event is fabricated to teach or enhance a moral message, it still doesn’t compensate for bending the truth. Moviegoer’s may have a positive experience and gain some skewed historical perspective, perhaps better than what they knew before the movie, but they loose out on the truth and therefore, a genuine understanding of the historical event, and its significance.

    Read More

  • Vethuizen's How To Tell A True War Story

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    In situations that face violence and tragedy, these stories are less accurate and more about explaining the experience these stories have the teller of that story. Violence is a factor in the retelling of events, affecting the accuracy of the storytelling. Vethuizen writes, “Finding the truth is even more of a challenge if it is intentionally hidden or forgotten or manipulated. In the case of dramatic events, such as violent conflict, one may instinctively change the facts to make the experience acceptable to the listener which is always a challenge for research into violent conflict” (Vethuizen 19-20). This is even more clear when the narrator in “How to Tell a True War Story” explains how adding and removing details to the stories

    Read More

  • Psychology and The Media

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    It's clear to see the media focuses on various reports, television shows, and even sitcoms regarding all forms of psychology. While watching television one can say media basically relies on psychology. The media of psychology views psychology through means of common sense versus an actual science. Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processed. Behavior is anything you do that can be observed. In the media we can observe people through the television screen. Through our observations we learn from their behavior. For example in a famous experiment conducted by Albert Bandura called, "Bobo Doll Experiment," a preschool child is working on a drawing. An adult in another part of the room is building with Tinkertoys. The child is watching this adult through a television screen and watches as the adult gets up and for nearly ten minutes pounds, kicks, and throws around the room a large inflated Bobo doll, while yelling hurtful sayings such as, "Sock him in the nose" or "Hit him down" and even "Kick him". After the adult was done, the child was taken to another room and demonstrated the same actions as they have seen through the television screen to the Bobo Doll. It's clear to see from the experiment the media teaches society many aspects of psychology. From a psychological aspect we see a child observing violent behavior from what the media has presented. Humans learn through observation and in a world where technology is advancing, the media plays a large role.

    Read More

  • Television and Media Effect on the Public

    4844 Words  | 10 Pages

    Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Media Framing

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    But how can we be sure that the news is not biased? Are we receiving information accurately, with details being simple to understand? After further research on media framing, I’ve come to realize that it is not rare to be someone who is skeptical of the news. In decades before now, media did a better job serving the public interests inside their news stories (Callaghan, 2001, p.186). But now, journalists may mix up facts intentionally and build a different story (Callaghan, 2001, p.184). How can one feel safe after knowing the media changes stories to keep us interested? Boring stories may not keep someone excited or fully interested, but at least people would not be misinformed and can, in a way, better prepare for what they will face outside their

    Read More

  • News and Current Affairs

    1826 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the television was invented in 1924, news and current affairs programs have surly become one of our main media sources. With this in mind, reporters and stations alike are able to manipulate their audiences through a variety of techniques, to make them believe a representation of reality as opposed to the true fact. This is evident in the current affairs story “Video Game Violence” and the standard news story “Music Video Ban”. These similar stories both originated from Channel Nine and represent violence in society’s youth today, stating children are at risk if exposed to such material. Through a selection of techniques, the audience is lured into supporting the told story and agreeing with the general attitudes promoted.

    Read More

More about Reliability of the Media

Open Document