So my ears perked up last week while I was listening to a report on The Today Show called "Mermaid Documentary Smells Fishy to Critics".
The topic being discuss was the brouhaha caused by a mock-umentary that had aired on the Animal Planet cable station.
Yes, I used the word mock-umentary because it is part of a growing trend of documentaries that appear "real" but are fabricated, fictional pieces meant to entertain. That was the topic up for debate. Animal Planet aired a program that seemed very real and purported that there is actual evidence that substantiates the existence of mermaids. The program, however, was a production that was created to be strictly for entertainment.There lies the rub... due to the documentary style of the program, it didn't appear as a work of science fiction. It appeared as if it was factual. In a statement to explain why the program appeared so believable (if one is willing to make the leap that there are mermaids) The Animal Planet's Executive Producer, Charley Foley said, " We wanted to approach the story with a sense of possibility and a sense of wonder. I think what he means is, he wanted you to run to Twitter and start tweeting "OMG, OMG, there is absolute proof that there are mermaids!!!! I just saw it on Animal Planet!!"
But that brings up the debate, if a program appears to be a legitimate educational based , a news report, or a researched documentary, should the public be advised when it is a science fiction creation meant to entertain.
On The Today Show segment, Josh Wolk, Editorial Director for Vulture.com asked the question "Should a documentary always report if it is fake? He goes on to answer his own question "Technically yes, but then again we are talking about a program about mermaids. I don't see how you could be fooled by this?"
Oh, JOSH....DO YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HUMAN NATURE??? WE CAN BELIEVE ANYTHING!!!!!! THAT IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF IT LOOKS LIKE A DOCUMENTARY OR NEWS PROGRAM.
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