Video & Truth

1.  How do you know if what you are watching on
TV is truth or fiction? Give some examples.
 Warm-ups must be at least 3 complete sentences.

2. TEKS 8D
Analyze the ethical impact of the audio and
video production industry on society.

3.  How do we know if what we are watching on
television is truth or fiction?
 Can television programs be partially true?
 Can people who work in the media
intentionally and non-intentionally bend the
truth?
 Is it ethical for people who work in the media
to bend the truth?

4.  Is altering reality unethical?
 It depends on what type of program it is.
 The standards for truthfulness are different for
different types of programs.
 Types of programs include:
 Story Programs
 Sports
 News
 Documentaries
 Commercials
 “Infomercials”
 Training and Education

5.  Story programs include feature movies, TV
series programs, and music videos that are
made purely for entertainment.
 What are some examples of story programs?
 Do you expect these programs to be true?
 When watching CSI, do you expect it to be a
realistic portrayal of that profession?

6.  Sports programs are often presented “live” so
the depiction is very close to reality.
 However, many cameras are used, and what
the producer chooses to show at any moment
can distort reality.
 A producer could choose not to show
something, or focus on something to make it
seem more important.
 What are some examples of how a sports producer
can distort reality?

7.  Breaking (live) news is very much like sports,
but many news reports concern events to
which cameras were invited: interviews, press
conferences, and “media opportunities”.
 A media opportunity is an event created
specifically for the purpose of being covered
by news organizations.
 Do you think “media opportunities” always present
the truth?

8.  A documentary is a type of nonfiction
program with the aim of communicating
information about a real-world topic.
 They present the essence of their subjects,
painstakingly culled from dozens or even
hundreds of hours of unstaged footage, often
without the editorial comment of narration or
the emotional support of music.
 Do documentaries present genuine reality?

9.  An editorial documentary is a documentary
that attempts to win viewers over to its
position or point of view.
 There are at least two sides to an issue and an
editorial documentary only represents one
side. For example, one editorial documentary
may focus on the importance of forest
conservation and a rival program may focus on
the importance of logging.

10.  Commercials are very short programs intended to
sell a product, a person, or an idea.
 Commercials do not distort the obvious facts about
their products because their manufacturers would
be open to lawsuits.
 However, they do use video tricks to make
products look better.
 Have you ever purchased anything you saw on a
commercial that wasn’t as good as it appeared?

11.  An infomercial is a program-length
commercial masquerading as a regular
program.
 What are some examples of infomercials?
 How can infomercials distort the truth?

12.  A training & development program is a type
of nonfiction program with the aim of
communicating information about a real-world
topic for the purpose of educating or
training an audience.
 What are some examples of training & development
programs?
 Can a training program have a hidden agenda?

13.  Documentary: The edited material should
represent the actual subject as closely as
possible.
 Commercials: Should be honest where facts are
concerned.
 Sports and News: Should be completely
accurate, should avoid personal bias, and
should represent all sides.
 Story (Fiction) Programs: Make no claim to show
reality so they can employ every technique in
the video toolbox.