Essay

At its core the series, Frontline, has a serious purpose; to challenge the notion that current affairs programs tell the truth.

How many of us actually believe every word of current affairs programs? I certainly do not. Good morning teachers and students. Truth is subjective, it relies heavily on perception and is therefore divorced from actuality. This reliance of truth on representation means it can be variously modified, interpreted and altered. This is particularly true of the mass media, where the truth has become a casualty of globalization and commercialization. Due to the media’s reliance on ratings and consumerisms, the truth has been commoditised, leaving it variously sensationalized or misrepresented. This concept is explored in the 199X television series Frontline, directed by Rob Sitch et al. It is further elucidated in the article TITLE from SOURCE, DATE. These texts explore and evaluate the ways in which representation affects the validity of meaning.

Rob Sitch’s satirical television series Frontline explores the role of the media in creating the truth. Through a pseudo-documentary style and the show-within-a-show format, Frontline exposes the various factors which colour and change the truth we viewers essentially see. This is done particularly effectively in the episodes The Siege and Add Sex and Stir.

In ‘ The Siege’, the ‘truth’ is misconstrued in order to create a more interesting story. Marty the reporter employs methods such as lighting, props eg. Flak jackets, redolent stances and camera angles to create a false sense of danger. The dramatic irony is evident as the responder is aware that Marty is only trying “to make it look like” he is in danger, when he is actually outside a 5km exclusion zone. Sensationalism is further employed to heighten public interest when anchor Mike Moore comments on a “possible Rambo situation” and “stay safe Marty, live form the line of fire”. This demonstrates how current affairs programs will misrepresent and sensationalise the truth in order to captivate a wider audience.

Dramatic irony is employed when Brooke asks Mrs Forbes to sign the exclusivity for as “other networks are unscrupulous”. Not only does this demonstrate Brookes hypocrisy but the venal methods employed by the media to secure exclusives and therefore ratings.

The episode ‘Add Sex and Stir’, explores the sexist attitudes of the media, exemplified by Brian when he remarks “I’m not having a women’s sports story…it is a natural killer of ratings”. This derogatory view of women is quickly overshadowed when Brian discovers it’s a homosexual story, which can inevitably raise ratings. Brian describes it as “not any sports story, it’s a leso story”, where the word “leso” is deliberately used over “unfair dismissal” to increase audience interest.

The ‘truth’ of current affairs programs is also shown by ‘Add Sex and Stir’ to be the victim of ruthless editing. This is evident when Brooke edits her question without the interviewee’s permission from “Allison, how many of the girls had it in for you?’ to “Allison, how many of the girls were gay?” to which the Allison replied “Most of them”. This not only shows the false compassion of current affairs programs but their willingness to distort the truth simply for ratings. This also shows the lack of journalistic integrity within current affairs programs and their manipulative methods used to tell the ‘truth’.

This lack of journalistic integrity is also explored by ‘Add Sex and Stir’ when the netball captain remarks “You only heard half the story, you beat up the rest…I hope you got your ratings”, showing the ulterior motives of current affairs programs of using part of the whole ‘truth’ and presenting a version that would raise public interest. Rob Sitch et al demonstrates how the market for the truth is highly competitive and as a result, the representation of the truth is made to fit. Composing the truth it seems is easy, but not always popular, therefore the truth is insidiously subverted and manipulated to represent a truth that is deemed to be more popular.

Frontline also employs technology, authoritive people and images to add to its credibility. High definition cameras are used to broadcast whereas a grainy hand held camera is used in the office to show how the pseudo-documentary style current affair programs are all about image. The use of authoritive people such as politician Cheryl Kernot and radio personality Neil Mitchell supplemented by the verisimilitude of image, logos and clips such as Princess Diana in its opening credits all add to Frontline’s credibility. Frontline at heart is entertaining, but it curiously unfolds the misdemeanors of society, where current affair programs are no longer about true news but rather popular news. In the race for popular news, the truth has been a casualty, variously misrepresented and sensationalized.