Report On Factual Programming

Intro
With stereotyping and bias being such a prominent hot-topic in todays society it is hard for programme and film-makers to create a form of media that isn't going to offend someone, there are many issues that such a person will face when trying to portray a fair and accurate representation of their subject.
During the course of this report I will outline many of these issues and explain them thoroughly using examples for the purpose of understanding.
When a program or film is labelled as "factual" it is almost creating unspoken trust with its audience to show that all the information in the following media is 100% factual, this means that every statement made in the media whether it be spoken or visualised is fact and does not contain any personal opinions.

Main
This leads us onto our first issue of a "bias opinion", this is where someones personal opinion corrupts the factual nature of a programme, this can be that of the film crews or the publics thoughts.An example of this could be "Fahrenheit 9/11" by Michael Moore. Constantly from start to finish of this documentary Moore is bombarding his audience with facts that lead to one explanation of such a massively controversial subject, when he could also be providing his audience with explanations leading to different outcomes rather tan pushing all the blame to one side. This is seen with Channel 4's programme "Benefit Street" where even the name of the programme strikes controversy amongst people in the UK.

The second issue for discussion is the "accuracy" and "reliability" of the information provided to and in many cases by the public. This factor is especially vital in News programmes offering a national audience international news. Much like the childhood game "Chinese Whispers" information can become distorted by the time it reaches a certain news station, this is why it is key for stations to interview many different people when trying to get information on a story. This is where eye-witness accounts of a story can prove vital to the success of a station. However, sometimes this is not the case as many witnesses may make events up or even exxagerate them to make for a more interesting story. This is better known as "Sensationalism". Sensationalism can not only be used by the public but also the news station itself to increase viewer popularity, this involves revealing a story in an "over-hyped" manner in which to make it seem like an important subject when in truth its status is completely the opposite.

The third and final issue for discussion that a creator of media will face when creating something factual is stereotyping. Stereotyping is one of the most talked about topics in modern society, in close relation with being acceptant of one another.  All filmmakers must be very weary to avoid stereotyping in their media, with such an active public response to such a topic any story or documentary can turn sour very quickly. Stereotyping can often lead to an unfair representation of a subject or subject matter for. For example, many teenagers are seen as to be feared by the older generation, this can tie in closely with "hoodies", however if one story of an unprovoked assault on a helpless man by a hooded teenager is broadcast, the station has to be careful not to represent that all teenagers wearing a hooded jacket are criminals that want nothing more than to cause harm to you. Despite its arrogance and hatefulness, stereotyping is seen in many factual programmes today. For example, in the programme "benefit street" all the people shown are represented as the lower working class, who stay at home and laze about all day, however in many cases this is not true as the reason the benefit system was originally created is to work as a safety netting for anyone that is struggling to find a job or has recently lost a job.