Wag The Dog.

The 1997 film, 'Wag the Dog', shows the role media plays regarding the production of reality that is mediated to the public.
" Of course there's a war I saw it on TV." - Conrad Brean.

 TV, print media and radio are our traditional source of newsworthy information. It is an assumption on our part that the information being mediated to us is through these platforms are provided by credible sources. Despite the credible intentions of a reporter, 'Wag The Dog,' suggests  powerful governmental officials may take advantage of the reputation they have by deliberately leaking fictitious stories to the media.

The film itself was based on the Novel 'American Hero' by Larry Beinhart. The president's character was based on George H.W. Bush and his dealing of, Desert Storm (Gulf War) . It is ironic that prior to the movies release, the clinton sex scandal occurred which gave the film even more relevance. Looking at a film like this and applying it to Ireland, whats not to say the horse meat scandal was created to divert attention from something else, something bigger.

The reality of this 'deception' is its a necessary in today's world. Everything we see and hear in media is intensely analyzed by experts from body language, to how somebody drinks a bottle of water, to the clothes they wear. One small step out of line can lead to an intense media scrutinisation. In the case of the President of the U.S.A, or politicians in general, it is perhaps justifiable as these people hold the most powerful positions in the world and their actions affect millions of lives. It is therefore unsurprising that PR teams and spin doctors are required to 'cover up' or seize an opportunity to divert controversy. TV can make you look bad but it is also a platform that can make you look great. If the President is seen as weak, the United States of America is seen by the world as weak. A projected image of power must be sustained at all times and the best way to do this is by controlling the 'reality'.

Watching a film like this can make a person question a lot of events. I wrote in a previous blog about the bull-horn speech in the aftermath of 9/11.  The speech Bush gave, standing on a mound of rubble high above a crowd of cheering volunteers, beneath an American flag blowing in the distance, contains all the elements of a staged event.

In popular culture South park has also provided a commentary on this on more than one occasion, the episodes ' A Ladder to Heaven' and 'Mystery of the Urinal Deuce,' providing an excellent social commentary on the aftermath of 9/11. Behind the satire the message is the same. 'A Ladder to Heaven,' parodied a famous American country western singer, Alan Jackson, who wrote song about 9/11. The song was released in the wake of the destruction and was debuted on the Country Music Television channel. It received airplay across America the next day.

What does this say about the credibility of the viewing public?
It says that they are being decieved by people who are the best of the best at what they do. Its nothing to be ashamed of. The reality is, people don't have time to question everything. TV traditionally is something that you view after a long day of work. When you switch on, you switch off, it can even be a form of escapism. Even those who are aware of the deception merely comment on it. No action is ever taken against it. If you are not a creditable source you will be laughed at, if you are a credible source willing to speak out, you will be silenced. Until somebody actually proves 9/11 was a conspiracy, I don't think the public can be seen as gullable. So long as its only the people on the TV who are being affected, the viewer probably won't care enough to question it in a meaningful way.