I’m taking an online class called Sociology in the Media. Part of the class requires that I watch documentaries. Michael and I saw the movie “Out Foxed” a while back, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s a study of how the Fox network changed the way the news is told. http://www.freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=43 is a site that carries “Out Foxed” and many other good documentaries. They also have “Big Bucks, Big Pharma” which I watched for my drug and alcohol class. It describes how pharmaceutical companies market their products.
Another movie they have is “The Panama Deception” which Michael and Walter show all the Panama Project people. It really appears to be anti-US, but it is from the Panamanian point of view of the Panama invasion. “Road to Guantanamo” is another doc that I watched in another class and recommend. Other movies that I’ve seen on the list is “Sicko,” “Supersize Me,” “Jesus Camp,” and “Gay Conversion.”
Another movie I highly recommend is called “Toxic Sludge is Good for You.” I watched this today for the media class. It’s an in-depth look at how public relations has infiltrated our media, news, and democracy. Even the word sludge has been renamed biosolid. What’s disturbing is the way the news reports non-news by PR companies. These are pre-packaged commercials that look like news. Local TV stations buy these because funding has been cut and it saves them money. The only free site I found is a bootleg copy, which I don’t recommend. You miss most of it, a cell phone rings, someone walks in front of the camera, and the sound quality is really bad. I’m sure you could rent it or buy it. That would also help the organization that put it together so they can continue getting putting out documentaries.
Another one of theirs is Independent Media in a Time of War. You can see that at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6546453033984487696. Sorry I don’t know how to do the “click here” thing. This doc shows how the American people are shielded from the pictures of the Iraq war and how our news is white washed and packaged for our viewing. We don’t see the destruction of human life that our bombs have brought. The premise is based on the lack of independent reporting and how embedded journalists work with the military and are safe compared to unembedded journalists. Consolidation of media companies are leading to the “group-think” news reporting where we see the same news no matter what station we go to. Interesting stuff. Check it out.
6 comments:
Dear Mona,
Also try "For The Bible Tells Me So." It is a great documnetary!
Lovely Mona,
Also try Bush's Brain. Gripping and Chilling but certainly explains the otherwise unexplainable in Washington, DC
I know Netflix isn't available in Panama, but they have just released "The Power of Nightmares", a BBC documentary about the neo-cons and the Islamic fundamentalists and how they came from the same place, a criticism of Western liberal values.
You may be able to get these through other channels.
¿¡¿¡biosolid?!?!
Yeesh.
Thanks for the interesting post!
Let me know if you need anything U.S.-ish and I can ship it overnight to Mickey at the retreat center.
Well, my sister and mother watch Faux Noise and my sister is going to vote for McPalin and my mother asked my father if Obama is Muslim. I am beyond myself.
To do the click business, go to the icon that looks like a chain to the left of the photo icon above the text box, select it and it will give you a place to type in the address.
Thanks, Caminante. I'll try it next time.
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