I watched some of Anderson Cooper last night on CNN. He was doing a special on America's 10 most wanted and during the program they added an old film filter on their B-roll footage - adding flicker and scratches etc. Despite the fact that it's a bit of a cheesey filter, it puts the authenticity of the piece into question. I'm not saying that the news was incorrect, it simply puts into question CNN's seriousness as a news agency. I know this isn't new (or news for that matter) and that it's a seemingly nitpicky issue, I just think that it speaks to an overall problem. We have blurred the line between entertainment and news. Style IS content, it's not something you slap on because it 'looks cool'. What is the b-roll style saying about this particular story? It's not like they were recreating vintage footage from an era gone by. It added nothing to the piece.
I watched Sidney Lumet's 'Network' a few weeks ago with Sylvia and am curious how far news will go to get a share of the audience. Hopefully not an on-air assasination. The satire has become truth.
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