The Observer - Documentary Article

The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays, sister paper of The Guardian. This is an article from 5th Febuary 2012 which is talking about accusations of a documentary 'exploiting a vulnerable family' and the effects of modern Reality TV on documentaries. I have highlighted the bits which i found most interesting, and a few quotes which tell us more about what some individuals really think.

One of the areas which i found most intersting was third paragraph down, Nick Broomfeilds opinion that "reality television is like fast food - its junk and rots peoples brains." In my personal opinion, i agree to some extent. Although i can see Nicks point of view, i also feel that not everybodys opinions or their ways of thinking are affected by reality TV programmes. I feel that reality TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Big Brother, and Im a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here are programmes which do not have much effect on peoples brains. However, programmes such as The Only Way Is Essex and Made In Chelsea which appear extremely staged although still branded as 'Reality TV' do have an effect on people. In my opinion, this is because they are programmes which do not involve watching individuals do a particular task or competition, but instead watching their day to day life which is actually so un-realistic and exaggerated people feel that maybe they should begin to act that way, or become so engrossed in the characters lifes they begin to incorporate their values into their own lifestyles. These types of programmes in general, including Big Brother and Im A Celebrity over-all have no contribution to the understanding of the world we live in or particular events or stories. Many documentaries aim to inform and educate people, giving them a whole new insight or in depth information about a subject which is often misunderstood or is in the public interest. For example, many documentaries are based on big issues in societies such as crime, alcohol or drug abuse or illnesses which are not so common to raise awareness on a widespread basis. In my opinion, it is slightly worrying how frequently new Reality TV shows are being brought out, attracting more viewers and interest then actual interesting documentaries, and it is a shame that documentaries which contain masses of information and are very time consuming such as 'Chasing Ice' a documentary featuring evidence from 30 cameras filming melting ice accross three continents. Croall, a member of the Sundance jury however quoted at the end of this article "in the end the audience will win and get the documentaries they deserve. We just need a breakthrough on the technology side."