LO1: Understand issues relating to factual programming for television

Task One

Understand issues relating to factual programme for television

Factual programming uses a range of issues in order to produce an effective programme. Factual programmes base their idea on providing facts and statistics on certain subjects. With factual programming, the audience are aware of what they are watching. The audience know that they will be given facts and statistics within factual programmes, this is known as the 'contract with the viewer'. Ofcom is an organisation that regulates everything that is broadcasted to the general public through tv and radio. Ofcom is for the benefit of the public and is not for commercial purposes. Ofcom protects the general public from scams, harm and being mislead.

Accuracy

Accuracy is when something is near to the true value. It is when the quality of something is as precise as it can be. Factual programmes have to be accurate as the audience should not be mislead. The audience will like to know that what they are being told are facts and not opinions. Factual programmes are meant to be fair. It is important that factual programmes are accurate, if not they may lose the trust of their audience and this can lower their viewing ratings. Also, in order for information to be accurate, careful research takes place. 

BBC news -  World news today

I have chosen the news, as it is a factual programme that must be reliable and trustworthy. The news covers facts. Facts are backed up with actual footage showing proof that what they are saying is true. News reporters read a script telling them what information is supposed to be said. Careful research must take place in order to present real/reliable facts. The news is not allowed to be biased or to show any opinion towards the subject they are presenting. However, there can be incidents when opinions are presented for example through interviews, by showcasing biased viewpoints or when producers show a balanced argument.

Balance

Balance is when something is equal within factual programming. In a factual programme an argument is meant to be kept balanced. Both sides of an argument must be presented, however, should not present one side better than the other. A story should be told from both sides and try not to be biased. In order to maintain balance you need to be impartial.

Question Time

Impartiality

Impartiality is when the producers do not take either side of a story, instead they stay neutral. In factual programmes you cannot be biased neither prejudice, you have to show the best of both sides. It is important to be impartial as you could cause controversy among your audience. Many media services always maintain being neutral, this is to please their audience. Many people watch factual programmes just to gain the facts, they do not want to be pulled into an argument where they have to produce their own opinions.

Louis Theroux - A place for pedophiles

Objectivity

Objectivity is when you make a judgment based on what you have seen. It doesn’t include any emotions or prejudices. The information you present in documentaries are important as the audience will make their judgment based on the footage you have shown. Being objective is being able to put an argument across and presenting all of the research gathered without being biased or impartial, but, giving the audience a chance to make up their own mind or opinion on the subject being discussed. 

Dispatches - Meeting the Taliban

Subjectivity

Subjectivity is when you make a judgment based on your own personal feelings and opinions. It doesn’t depend on external facts for example footage you have seen or facts you have heard. In a documentary if you want the audience to have a particular view on someone or something, you would have to present them/it in a bad way so that the audience can build their own opinion on that person/thing. The news avoid being subjective in order to avoid causing controversy. By being subjective, you would put across a more one sided view.

Supersize Me

Opinion

Opinions are judgment’s based on your own view. They are not always based on facts or knowledge but are based on your own personal view. An opinion can be supported by an argument, although, others may not have the same opinion on the same argument. A passive audience is an audience who take the facts presented to them and have their own opinion on them. Reporters are unable to make a subjective opinion in a story. Including both impartiality and balance, it allows the audience to have their own opinion on what they have seen.

Kids with guns - Gangs

Bias

Bias is when you are on one side and show prejudice against something or someone unfairly. Sometimes you find documentaries that are biased over an argument. They particularly support one side and try and promote the audience to follow the side they are on. Being bias can also include ignoring evidence shown by the other party. Censorship is against biased views, it is there to protect the audience from causing controversy. The news is not biased due to following the Ofcom rules.

Panorama - Britains crimes of honour

Panorama - Eurovision's dirty secret

Representation

Representation is when someone or something is being portrayed in a certain way. In a documentary if you wanted the audience to have a particular view on someone, you would have to represent that person in a particular way, either in a good way or bad. Sometimes you see positive representation, this can be done to cause the audience to have sympathy towards someone or something. However, sometimes you can also see negative representation, victimising individuals or groups. representation is a re-presentation of something/someone or a group. It can sometimes be a re-presentation of recongnisable sterotypes. The media can either challenge the sterotypes or can show them in a new light.

Panorama - Truth about supermarkets

Access

Access is when you have the freedom to be able to use something or someone. It is when you have been given the permission to use or take something. In some documentaries you see footage of people being interviewed. The camera crew would have been given permission to be able to record that footage and to be able to use it.

Panorama - Mystery of Madeleine McCann

Privacy

Privacy is when you are able to keep something to yourself without it being observed by other people. Everyone is given the freedom to privacy; no one has to share something to someone if they don’t want to. It is part of someone’s human rights. In some documentaries you see people’s faces being blurred out when they are talking. A person is able to say that they want the image of themselves to be kept private. 

Dispatches - Britains (muslim) sex gang

Contract with viewer

Contract with viewer is when you have an agreement with the audience. It is when you present something that the audience is expecting for example if you have watch a documentary about bears, you would expect the documentary to be focused particularly on everything about bears.

Panorama - The secrets of Scientology 

King of laughter 

The documentary I decided to analyse is called king of laughter. It is about a man who has faced a lot of challenges in his life due to unexpected tragedies. However, he has been able to find a solution to weaken the pain he has been going through. The solution is laughter. He wanted to start a new slate and began to smile and laugh and enjoy life to the fullest. The documentary is very short and is 3.20 minutes long. The reason for this is that the producers don’t want the audience to get bored and each part of the documentary is jam packed with facts and opinions. It pin points all the main information.

Accuracy

I would say that this documentary is really accurate as it stays on topic throughout. The main focus of the documentary is man known as the ‘king of laughter’. The documentary mentions facts and opinions which are accurate. The documentary shows archive footage of people talking about their own life problems. This is proof that the documentary has accurate information. At the beginning of the documentary, text is shown straightaway revealing facts about what is yet to come. Constant laughter is played in the background of the documentary, this laughter is the males and they want the audience to begin to get familiarised with the man.

Balance

The documentary is not based on an argument, so there are no major opinions shown. However, all the opinions they have of laughter are all opinions backing it. They are agreeing that laughter does solve problems and that it does make a happier place.  

Impartiality

This documentary’s big message is that laughter is powerful and can push away any problems. The documentary focused on opinions from a range of people. Archive footage is shown of people talking about their own problems and how laughter is something that should happen more regularly. All the opinions shown are on topic and relate to the big message of the documentary.

Privacy

The production team go in to detail about the man’s life and he is shown speaking openly about his life to the audience. He is not questioned when shown on the video and is portrayed to the audience that he is happily opening up to the audience about why he loves laughing. Also, at the beginning of the documentary a location is shown, called Walsall. This may be where the man lives and he is happy to reveal his location to the audience.  This will have an effect on the viewers as they would feel that they can relate to him and some may even know where he lives.

Bias

The documentary is biased as it only focuses on why laughter is good and how it helps solve problems. However, as the documentary has no argument involved, it is acceptable to be biased.