what is the relationship between the term propoganda and documentary and why have they been closely linked??

Answer 1

documentaries are usually independently produced, with no corporate censorship or fact-checking.

propaganda is information delivered with an agenda, sometimes very thinly veiled.

the words "propaganda" and "documentary" have been closely linked because it is difficult for an independent producer to be objective.

think of the film "supersize me". clearly the producer had an agenda, and that was to bias people against purchasing and consuming McDonald's products. this film could have been labelled as propaganda, but the producer was wise. he used facts and real experience to back up his information. the film ended up changing the product line at many fast food stores, not just McDonald's. it would be debatable whether the film was propaganda.

whereas many other documentary films that have questionable resources (think michael moore) have been labelled as propaganda because the agenda was so obvious.

then again, many nature films are documentaries (the penguin movie, for example) with only a bit of personal agenda thrown in.

great question, thanks for asking!

have a great day!

Answer 2

The terms documentary and propaganda were never normally associated with each other until recent years. Since people have always essentially 'believed only what they see', unscrupulous modern filmmakers have hit upon a simple yet effective way of advancing their particular social agendas...film it as a "documentary"! They're very simple to tell apart...documentaries present a full picture of the topic, addressing all issues involved WITHOUT drawing a conclusion or solution. Propaganda begins and ends on a single note...this is "good" or that is "bad". Most clever are the veiled attempts at advancing social agendas...such as some of the new wildlife films, which are more about global warming or some other evil intrusion by mankind into the environment rather than the cuddly little animals that are actually being filmed.

Answer 3

Many documentaries seems to be taking on a political tone these days! For instance, Al Gore's global warming documentary is just propaganda to further his cause. Same with Farenheit 9/11, it was a political statement rather than a documentary by Michael Moore.

It is difficult nowadays to find a documentary that doesn't have some of the director's own spin to it.

Great question!

Answer 4

The best example I can think of is Michael Moore's "documentary" on 9/11. Farenheight 9/11 is NOT a documentary because it does not incorporate actual facts...rather it is an opinion displayed to trick people into thinking it's fact.

His propganda was nothing but a mockary of the white house and of the administration/ties abroad. it displayed no real evidence, just opinions and was used to sway the public into believing or having an opinion on a certain situation.

hope that helps, and with that...i'm going to bed.

Answer 5

Because the purpose of a lot of documentaries today is to persuade people to accept a sociological and/or political belief.

(i.e. the king of tripe: Fahrenheit 9/11)

-Aztec276