This movie was very well done. I like it a lot. It showed some of the techniques used by FOX to create news that is not news. For instance the common use of the phrase "some people say" or "I've heard people say things like" by anchors and reporters to interject opinion. Traditionally journalists used the phrases "people say" or "a person said" to add information while keeping the source anonymous not for the purpose of adding editorial opinion.
Contrived Example #1:
People close to the CEO claim that Dutchie's Pickles are made from cucumbers which are preserved in vinegar and spices such as dill.
Contrived Example #2:
People say that Dutchie's use of cucumbers to make pickles is offensive and some could belive that they are doing this just to upset the zucchini industry.
Do you see the difference between these two? Example #2 is very close to the way FOX adds opinion to their news. I don't really have issue with that being used on shows such as O'Reilley's because that is an opinion show. But it should not be used during a standard newscast.
Another thing that FOX News does that this film illustrates is that it doesn't do real journalism like our other news outlets. For instance, instead of reporting "news" (notice the word 'new' in 'news' do you think that's just a coincidence?) FOX will order its affiliates to air retrospectives about things long past during their standard news broadcasts rather than doing the 'news.' I recall a conservative commentator a few weeks back lamenting the fact that American news outlets spent a great deal of time reporting bad news from Iraq instead of the Aniversary of D-Day. But really folks, is something that happened 60 years ago "news"?
These are just a couple of the techniques explored in the film Outfoxed. See it, it's pretty cool.
Some people say that pickles are yummy.
Posted by: Nort at August 18, 2004 07:01 PM