12 Issues in Doccumentary

Issues in documentaries

Accuracy:

The first issue is Accuracy, this is when the the information provided must come from a reliable and trustworthy sources. Accuracy will mean that the information that is given is true and it is not altered or changed, a 1st person interview would help solidify the evidence/information given as they would have witnessed it them selves, and so they would not miss out important details as they will remember it. Accuracy is important as it will allow the documentary to be close to reality and it also has to be accurate as there are regulations set by OFCOM, so reporting has to be done from a reliable source, so that the viewers do not feel doubt of the information. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36068972

In this documentary it talks about the possibility of ISIS taking over Libya, it gives accurate facts and also has an interview with a minister form the Libyan government who would know more about the geographical area and so this allows for more reliable and precise information as he would know the weak points of the country are and how they could prepare for a defence, this allows for more detail and a reliable source of information so that the viewer does not feel disorientated or isolated as they would know what is going on in that specific area, and the interviews with the minister and local people gives the viewers an insight into what is going on in Libya.

Balance:

Balance is to show the both sides of an argument, so if there was a debate it would show two people giving their different opinions to give the viewer a sense of balance and that it does not favour a particular side, so that the viewer can listen to both sides without having to feel that it may not be fair on the 'losing' side. The show must be balanced so that the viewer can experience both sides of the argument, this will make the show seem more fair and also make sure that there are no issues raising with favouritism as this can lead to the show being disliked by people.

In this video it shows, two sides of an argument where if the western world or people in general misunderstand/interpret the islam faith wrong, and it starts off with the people who say that islam is misunderstood, and then it switches over the people who argue that it is not misunderstood. This shows both sides of the argument and it allows for the audience to see both sides of the argument and to be influenced by some of it to show their emotions as the people will also be involved in the argument and they would take a side and see what the other party has to say.

Impartiality:

In this issue. it checks to see if there is no favoritisms for a particular issue. This checks to see if there is impartiality in the information provided. This is usually in the news reports to show the news without taking a side, impartiality can also be to not be biast and so be neutral in their output of the information and only report so this is only seen in the news as they have to be impartial in their news, such as the BBC in this report as they have to be impartial in order not to make the report biast towards a particular side.

In this issue it shows the news without the reporters, giving their information without taking a side, however in the report they have a interview which shows that the is against the current president in power and a interview of a anti-goverment can show a bit of biast but for the rest of the report it is impartial.

Objectivity:

Objectivity is when the experiences of the reporters do not the effect the outcome of a report. This would be to make sure that they do not effect the report. objectivity is important as it will effect the viewers experience as they watch the program, objectivity is also similar to impartiality as it will have no views inside it that may effect the outcome of the report or documentary. Objectivity is similar to make sure that the experience is not altered in a way that the audience would not like, also to be biast in a documentary or report would go against the OFCOM regulations as there has to be a solid good information and no changing of the facts to suit the biast.

In the report/documentary above it shows the information without actually showing a biast of any sort, this then in return allows the audience to cast their vote without feeling pressure form what they are watching it simply gives them information about the EU referendum and tells the UK a bit of information about it, there is no opinions of experiences altering the final product.

Subjectivity:

Subjectivity is when the experiences and opinions of the person creating the documentary alters what the product would be, this could also be a biast view as they could only see it from their point of view and so the documentary would revolve around them and their experiences, this will give the audience an insight to what they have been through, and it will also make it seem more relateble or realistic as they will be telling things that happened to them in a 1st person and so it would be reliable and more accurate as well.

In this documentary it shows two DEA agents talking about their experiences, views and opinions about Pablo Escobar as they work together as a team to try and track him down, this is a subjectivity documentary as they interview the two DEA agents and they say their opinions and views, this in return alters the output of the documentary as they influence it with their opinions.

Opinion:

An opinion of someone can also alter the output of the documentary, as they see it from their point of view and so will tell the story from their point of view, this will change the documentary completely as they will be baist towards there side, and so influence the audience to make them believe what the documentary is saying, this can be dangerous  as it can lead to manipulation of people.

In the documentary above it has opinions based upon the terrorist group ISIS, it gives opinions form a variety of people and it shows ISIS in a bad manner, as the opinions are all against them and so gives the audience the same feeling and encourages them to not like ISIS either,

Bias:

Bias is when a documentary report is one sided and it only gives one side of the argument, this is also linked in with subjectivity as they will only give one side of the documentary or their possible views, this can lead to indoctrination of the audience as they will be lead to believe that what the documentary is saying is right and is the only way to look at the issue.

there are many bias documentaries as they go out and look further into an issue that they have researched and give their opinions on their findings, being biast is allowed in documentaries, but not in news reports. in the documentary above it talk about gun crime in the UK, and it a bias towards the police's view of the matter.

Acces:

This is when all the people that appear in your documentary and the specific people that you interview, have to agree and accept to be filmed, some of the documentaries might require multiple interviews with the same person and over a long time so they have to accept being interviewed on specific days. Also if they are under the age of 16 they will require permission from their parents for them to be filmed. This is an issue as some people will not want to be filmed and some parents will not want their children to be filmed either, so finding permission can be a difficult task and can lead to delays in documentaries.

Privacy:

By law, everybody has the right to their own privacy, however in certain circumstances the media does not abide by this law and especially the paparazzi break the law to especially get photographs of celebrities as they can be worth a lot of money. The correct way to do so would be to get permission from the celebrities or who ever they are filming. This however in reality is not a possible as they would all be rejected and so invading some people's personal life is a thing with the media.

Contract with viewer:

This is basically when there is a 'code' or rule, that all the information in the documentary is accurate, honest and engaging. This 'contract' involves the producers and the viewers, As the viewers can believe the documentary but it might be false information, and so this is a really important issue and has to be addressed directly by the producers. By making sure that their information is reliable and they have found evidence to back it up so that they do not mislead the audience that is watching the documentary.