Propoganda vs. Documentary?

Question

Can they be one and the same? Must a documentary be objective? If it contains a slant, doesn't it automatically become propaganda? Should the term "documentary" only pertain to films presenting both sides of an issue in an effort to educate, rather than containing a bias to drive change?

Answer 1

No.  A documentary often has a slant, by giving info that will make the viewer or reader come to the conclusion that the author wishes.  It is up to the reader to ask questions that refute the documentary.

For example, I could do a documentary giving true events showing how white people have killed other people.  Upon seeing this, you might conclude that white people are nothing but a race of killers.  I just left out all of the good things about white people.  But the documentary would still be accurate.  The slant would be in what is left out.

Answer 2

No...a documentary is meant to document and present the facts in an unbiased way...it is when a slant or spin is put on it that it then becomes propaganda...

Propaganda needn't be outright lies.... but selective editing that channels the audience to a particular biased viewpoint..

So in part I agree with Dave M...but as soon as one moves away from presenting the entire known truth whether by omission or  misinformation then one has moved into the realms of propaganda.

Answer 3

I agree with Dave M and bgee2001, and to some extent to Ellis.

A documentary is supposed to give the facts, and preferably from all aspects, but often some facts are left out by accident or because the film maker could not film that aspect.

A propaganda film can be a documentary that has a strong "deliberate" bias whether blatant or subtly done, or it can even be a major film that has either a blatant or subtle bias, i.e "Green Berets" starring John Wayne which has a very strong blatant bias.

Many people do do know the correct definition of the word "Propaganda". The correct meaning is 'telling or distribution of the truth'. Unfortunately the word has been so misused that the word has taken on the opposite meaning.

Answer 4

Actually, they can be one and the same, both used for documentary, and propaganda purposes,

The n***s in Germany were masers at combining the two for their perverse purposes, and for that matter Other countries including the us would combine the two mediums for propagandize purposes, and to generate hatred for the enemy of the day.