Politics by Entertainment

Entertainment, according to Encarta World English Dictionary, is “The act of amusing people.”  The dictionary does not use verbs like inform, educate, or document, when defining Entertainment.

Competition for the eyes and ears of the public is fierce in today’s media jungle. Media executives are adding “a spoonful of sugar” to tease the intellectual palate of readers and viewers. As a result, entertainment has leaked into virtually every type of education and information media. We even have added hyphenated words to our lexicon that illustrate how entertainment has become an integral part of media messages.

Edu-tainment – to educate and entertain. This category includes historical biographies. Unfortunately, the blurring of truth and fiction continues to broaden to the extent that Edu-tainment includes revisionist films like Oliver Stone’s “JFK” and “Nixon,” Martin Scorsese’s “Last Temptation of Christ,” and Disney’s “Pocahontas.”  The newest addition to this category will be the 2005 film release of the hit novel, “The DaVinci Code.”  Many readers believe this book actually reveals factual evidence that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a love child which she raised in France after his crucifixion. On the other hand, there are several books that present evidence to the contrary. “Breaking the DaVinci Code” and “The DaVinci Deception” are two of the most highly recommended.

Info-tainment – to inform and entertain. The purpose here is to present factual information or data in an entertaining package. Documentaries are the key form of info-tainment. Unfortunately, there is no universal standard for truth; partly because our society has been wooed into believing that all truth is relative; e.g.,   “Your truth may not be my truth.” News has migrated into this category over the years. The best evidence is in the content of morning ‘news’ shows like, Today, Good Morning America, The Morning Show, and American Morning. Evening tabloid shows like, “60 Minutes,” “20/20” and “Dateline” could be labeled as News-tainment.

Poli-tainment – is a category I coined to identify the latest blend of entertainment and politics. This new phenomena has permeated virtually every form of media, all designed to influence the reader/viewer to embrace a certain political point of view.

In this pre-election season, party loyalists are utilizing many forms of Poli-tainment to convey to the public critical ‘facts’ about their candidate, and explosive ‘truths’ about his or her opponent.

One reason for this new form of political messaging is Campaign Finance Reform. The McCain-Feingold law limits the amounts and sources of campaign funds available to candidates. Both political parties have become creative in an attempt to end-run the spirit of the legislation, and are orchestrating hard-hitting attacks on the opposition using ‘soft’ money.

Wealthy supporters are using their own private treasuries to create and distribute all forms of media messages, including smear ads that besmirch the credibility of the other guy, tabloid ‘news’ stories containing revelations about an opponent’s shady past, blistering ‘documentaries’ contrived to promote a political agenda, impromptu celebrity endorsements of their favorite candidate on talk shows, and rock concerts that intend to influence concert-goers to embrace a certain political viewpoint.  

The common ingredient in most Poli-tainment messages is propaganda, not necessarily facts or truth. Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” is a sterling example of this new kind of political campaigning.

Not to be outdone, Bush supporters are releasing an alternative to “Fahrenheit 9/11.” This new TV documentary (also available on DVD) is called, “George W. Bush: Faith in the White House,”  This Dove-approved video presentation is billed as an insider’s view of how President Bush walks the ‘talk’ in his faith. The cover note reads, “See how the power of faith can change a life, build a family and shape the destiny of a nation.”

The Internet has also become a real-time tool for getting the word out to supporters. Liberals have their Moveon.org, where you can vote for your favorite hate Bush ad. Conservatives have NewsMax.com, where you can purchase a copy of “Michael Moore is a Big, Fat, Stupid White Man.” From either website, you can navigate to many Blog sites where people with or without any credentials can exchange views.  

Due to advancements in media technology, in today’s War of Words, blows can be exchanged almost as rapidly as counter punches in a boxing match. Addressing the question of whether Kerry has leadership attributes, some of his Swift boat comrades endorsed him at the Democratic Convention.

In response, a group of Swift boat officers who also served in Viet Nam with Kerry shot back with the book, “Unfit for Command.” In response to that book, Kerry friend and filmmaker, George Butler is about to release another ‘cinematic portrait’ of the Democratic candidate, in a scheduled October release called, “Going Upriver.” And on it goes.

So, what is the answer to this Poli-tainment dilemma? It all goes back to another recently coined term, “Media Literacy.” Don’t take anything for granted. Do your research. Look behind the rhetoric and examine the sources and attending motives. Then you will be better equipped to sort the wheat (truth) from the chaff (propaganda). 

We must appreciate the fact that no media person is completely without an opinion. And those opinions will surely leak into the ways facts are presented or interpreted. You will probably even find a bias in this story. 

It’s our obligation as free citizens of the greatest nation on earth to examine issues closely before we take decisive action. If we abdicate our responsibility to become well-informed, there may come a day when some dictator does the deciding for us. After all, no one ever said that Freedom is free.