Issues with factual Programming

Issues with factual programming:

Accuracy is crucial to news providers because the facts that they provide are the only way the truth can be provided to the audience, so if the information is biased or false, their reputation could be at risk essentially causing them to lose their current status in the industry. Accuracy is a term which ensures the trust of the audience due to the stories produced , whether it's false or not, the audience will still consider the information provided. However, if mistakes are consistently made and the information is invalid the audience’s patience will eventually wear off and they will lose interest.

Accuracy is vital if you wish to please and keep an audience, they will much prefer to read a story with straight facts rather than information that may or may not be true, for example, in the Biggie and Tupac documentary. In the documentary Nick Broomfield (filmmaker) was interviewing people who knew the two revered rappers, as he gained valuable information, he started stated facts about the rappers through a voice-over. But the audience would much rather hear from people (personally) that actually knew the rappers instead of information gathered, some of the people may provide false and exaggerated information which may lead to negative outcomes. Many interviews will have to take place with eyewitnesses to ensure you get the best possible story to ensure everything you report is as factual as possible. Another example would be in “supersize me” the presenter does not tell the truth as it really is, he also exaggerates some of the topics which makes him quite in-accurate.

Balance means that the documentary need to keep a topic fair to both sides discussing, there are always two sides to a story and the information told to the viewers should be correct, fair and equal. It is very important to keep a balance on views because this then allows information on both sides to be investigated. Ensuring that both sides of an argument are shown is extremely vital as it prevents an opinion being represented to a viewer, making them believe everything without knowing all the facts from each side. For example in the Biggie and Tupac documentary there were arguments and opinions from both sides (friends of Tupac and friends of Biggie), they were asked similar questions about each rapper. However, the rappers were portrayed differently in terms of behaviour and attitude. Biggie was portrayed as a great person and role model, as for Tupac he was portrayed almost the exact opposite compared to Biggie, he was portrayed quite negatively, showing rational behaviour towards fellow rappers and fans, however he did have some positive sparks within the documentary helping out his friends and family. Another great example is Supersize me, in this documentary the presenter consumes McDonalds and gives the audience a perspective on the outcomes of the food, he does exaggerate some parts of the topic making him quite in-accurate, however a majority of the documentary is quite self-explanatory due to the fact that the audience can see the problems with eating unhealthy products such as the weight gain, vomiting etc.

Subjectivity is a term given to the audience’s opinion whilst discussing a popular topic and is basically the opposite. Subjectivity is sometimes avoided during TV programming as it can prevent the facts being used and may result in the programme being slightly biased towards the target audiences views, however presenters may use this method to help manipulate the audience into seconding their opinion. It is acceptable to portray opinions on discussions but it’s important for the audience to mention each of their opinions so that it isn’t necessarily the opinion of anyone else, this will prevent the viewers from thinking you will be biased towards your beliefs. A great example would “Aileen life and death of a serial killer” because of the way the Nick Broomfield bonds with the main lead, he asks questions about her past and he slowly makes her realise that what shes done in her past. Aileen then reacts to the questions and provides emotional feelings about her past experienceand she then reacts to the question and explains how she feels and what her opinions were. 

Opinion is used when the producer wants to help show the viewers what members of the public think it is important they choose a wide variety of people from different walks of life to ensure that the answers and opinions they get will be as widespread and unique as possible. It is always important to keep a mature balance whilst showing the opinions of others. Keeping an argument fair is extremely vital because if too many opinions are shown, this states that they agree with an argument, which will lead to a biased show, which is something that should definitely be prevented. Presenters shouldn’t mention their opinion as it can make viewers believe they’re being biased and in-accurate. An example of this method is used In Aileen and the death of serial killer, in this documentary the lead person is asked various different questions about her past and current situations and she portrays her honest answers and opinions.

Representation is a method which means how something is constantly portrayed. Presenters have to be very careful not to stereotype anything during a TV programme as this can lead to some in-accurate information. For example, you can often find the media stereotyping Muslims, claiming that all Muslims are terrorists or that the religion in general portrays hatred and violence, this sort of stereotyping is very offensive and can lead to problems for Muslims all over the world. TV programmes in general should not stereotype as its unfair and can often mislead, which isn’t what people should aim for in a factual programme.

Privacy is a major issue when it comes to TV programming because everyone has a right to be free from public attention. Journalists must avoid the unfair treatment of individuals, sometimes journalists will be asked not to approach or ask questions. The best way to tell if the story invades someone’s privacy is to imagine yourself in their shoes. Most TV programmes try to remain away from people’s personal lives as they may feel uncomfortable, however, sometimes they will go to any extent and invade someone’s privacy to achieve the most efficient outcome. For example, the News Of The World were a part of a phone hacking scandal where they obtained illegal access into a missing girl’s voicemail, listening to her messages and collecting information they would later turn into a report. This then led to them creating stories for the newspapers, but people got really suspicious as to how they obtained such precise information. After years of investigations the employees were eventually arrested.