truth is a contest ground ? [EDIT]

‘Truth is a contested ground’

The media is one of the most powerful and influential institutions in modern day society, with its ability to actively construct representations of certain truths that ultimately shape and mould our perceptions on certain events. The extent to which I agree to the notion that ‘truth is a contested ground’ is that I believe the many representations that flood the minds of those in society form, in a sense a kaleidoscope view of an event with different mediums and versions of truth collectively completing the puzzle of truth from which we are open to interpret. However, such pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, being of differing textual forms and upholding specific agendas all simultaneously compete in a race to fulfil their desire for the validation of their versions of truth. Consequently, it comes to a point where the distinct line between fact and fiction begins to blur, with the assistance of the hands of those in power colouring an event with a specific agenda. This is explored and satirised in Rob Sitch et al’s Frontline episodes ‘The Siege’ and ‘We Ain’t Got Dames’, Sian Prior’s SMH article ‘Give me knowledge instead of all these bits’ and the 1994 film ‘The Paper’ by Ron Howard. You could clarify this slightly by previewing the specific issues you are going to argue, but it is otherwise an excellent intro as it establishes a sophisticated understanding of the issue.

The driving force behind the actions of the media is one that results in the compromise of the media’s upholding of public responsibility and public safety reflecting the unscrupulous behaviour involved in achieving such validity. That being, the desire for ratings. This is highlighted in the episode ‘The Siege’, which gives the audience an insight into the processes that occur behind the facades we constantly face each day. The active manipulation of news is emphasised with the use of the conventions of the fly on the wall camera documentary technique in the series to create a feeling that this fabrication of ‘truth’ is indeed a truth in itself that is actively withheld from the public domain.

Brooke’s interview with Mrs Forbes satirises the unethical approach toward innocent individuals created by this ultimate desire for ratings.Be clearer Brooke is attempting to secure exclusivity for her self and her station The use of irony see in the line “this isn’t to protect us, it’s to protect YOU” – Brooke accompanied by the blank and non empathetic facial expression of the Frontline team suggests the value of the interview as being no more than a visual commodity for a story with significant potential commercial gain. The use of close-up shots and the cuts back and forth between Brooke’s face and that of Mrs Forbes, enables us to observe the process of spectacularising (Asking Mrs Forbes to cry again) an event to feed into the desire for ratings and the gaining of profits that may result from it.

The juxtaposition of the facial expressions further emphasises the price that the media is willing to pay, that being the emotional and psychological wellbeing of society, to achieve their main objective. Finish this point off better

The fact that such an institution has such immense amount of power, being in a position in which they hold society’s trust that truth will be conveyed, allows for their ability to actively construct news whilst feeding into pre-existing expectations and perceptions of society. This is clearly seen in The Siege’s opening scene where Brian enters the office yelling “siege, siege, siege”. Suggests that the team have an implicit understanding of what will follow. Its all well rehearsed. This process of active construction that occurs in the dark and gloomily portrayed editing room is suggestive of the mysterious and unknown processes that occur within these depths. Sian Prior states in her SMH article title? ‘Give me knowledge instead of all these bits’ the power of the media with the aid of medium allows for the easy fabrication of allegation as fact. As the author plucks a statistic out of the air and puts it on paper, her comment “you probably believed me simply because it was printed” highlights the media’s capability to ‘create’ news. Thus, with the power and the means to create news, in the service of the media’s desire for ratings is a key influential factor driving the media to further compete for the validation or ownershipof the contested ground, truth.

The active suppression of certain events and information by the ‘elite’ is another factor involved in the control of information and the types of truth that we receive. In blunt terms the contested ground of truth can be overtly regulated by those in power. This is one of the more serious issues confronting any democracy in which the media asserts its position as a source of truth. Again, in Sian Prior’s article, her use of a recipe structure allows for the conveying of the concept of active construction “they take human experience, mix it with awe inspiring imagination and create an emotional journey” in an attempt to embed their version of truth into our minds and perceptions. In the episode ‘We Ain’t Got Dames’ the clear ‘spin’ that is placed on the sweatshop story, transforming it into a fashion “puff piece” complete with the use of stereotypical images of fashion shows the clear avoidance of potentially controversial issues. The hierarchical system that exists within the structure of the Frontline team is not as evident in this episode as some others, but however, there always seems to be a glass ceiling under which the team must remain. The characterisation of the main characters and their conduct when Mr Caville or someone from “upstairs” is mentioned, is immediately juxtaposed to their otherwise unscrupulous behaviour is indicative of the control that the elite have on what can or cannot be portrayed. This can be seen in the interview processes involving the Prime Minister’s media minders resulting in the transforming of the interview into a trivial token. Or “puff piece” From this, we can see that the active suppression and control that the elite have on the release of information is one that limits the types of truths which can be contested.

The continuous race for the validation of various representations of truth does not however, come without consequences. That being, the cocooned nature of the media and hence the suppression of ethics and morals that arises leading to the unscrupulous behaviour of this super power. Ron Howard’s film ‘The Paper’ is also a satirical text that gives us an insight into the fast paced and unfriendly world of journalism. The frenetic editing of scenes especially the one involving the altercation is a key scene and a perfect exemplar of the influence of this race for the validation of contested truth on human behaviour. We see the breaking down of all the boundaries of manners, respect, courtesy and public responsibility as these individuals seek to run whichever version most suited to their agenda. The disregard for the reputation of others is evident as Alice, the frontrunner of The Sun paper says “we only have to be right for a day” shows the blurring of the line between fact and fiction. The sudden halt in non diagetic sound and the closeup reaction shot of the protagonist Henry, the moral still point of the newspaper, displaying his shock stricken face emphasises the unrighteousness of her actions and that unethical mindset. These two polarised extremities are continuously maintained and juxtaposed in the Frontline episodes with the images of the persona’s on-screen personalities appearing in the mise en scene parallel to the true reality.

This blurring of fact, allegation, fiction and ultimately reality and imagination causes us to question the extent to which these contested truths have come to affect our expectations of news as a source of factual knowledge. We as the receiver seem to decreasingly question or highlight certain inconsistencies to the attention of the media but rather increasingly and willingly accept what we are told. This danger involved in the hierarchy that does exist suggests that those of higher power or authority in fact have more control over society than we originally think.

Therefore, as we can see, through the composer’s use of cinematic and literary techniques, the dangers involved in the quest for the validation of truth are highlighted. The upholding of specific agendas all competing for acknowledgement and commercial gain, as we can see, have immense influence on the perceptions of which society holds. Thus, it is this competitive race for validation that defines truth as indeed being a contested ground.

Despite my occasional comments re detail this is a good response in the time frame. Your understanding of the broader issues in well expressed and the argument is generally well carried. Without wanting to second guess the marker who dealt with this module, I’m sure you would have been somewhere in the A range.