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.

TEKS 8DAnalyze the ethical impact of the audio and video production industry on society.

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?

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

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?

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?

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?

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?

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.

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?

An infomercial is a program-length commercial masquerading as a regular program.

What are some examples of infomercials?

How can infomercials distort the truth?

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?

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.