To sensationalize news is an interesting concept in which Shklovsky addresses in “Art as Technique.” We of course use art in most communication, but in the news it can be a touchy subject. For a news reporter to communicate their own personal opinion is out of context and frowned upon. When the Hindenburg went down and the reporter said, “Oh the humanity,” it would be considered “sensationalized.” Yet this is humane. When we watched the clip of a comedic scene in class where a news reporter was “sensationalizing” the news, it seemed inhumane however. We can see that he had no regard for the president that got shot, as he was trying to catch our attention through his acting like a game show host or sports reporter of some sort. In this way, he was acting, but in the case of the Hindenburg, he was himself. I would have to say that if the projection of thought, emotion or opinion is real, from the heart of the person, than it would be apropos, however if it was set up for the purpose of catching the audience’s attention, it would be a rhetorical device for the use of persuasion to a certain stance, which can be debatable on the ground of ethics.
Terry Eagleton was adamant that the discipline of literature not only a recreational device, but a means of sustaining the dominant social order. If we look at today, and replace “discipline of literature” with “media” we might be able to draw the same conclusion. What better way to influence the masses than by creating a movie, for example, that is not only viewed and accepted nationwide, but worldwide? A major concern and popular topic is subliminal messages in movies due to biased beliefs within the political system. This is how movies “actively produce ideology rather than merely reflect it,” as Eagleton says. They have been the source of people’s opinions changed or stances moved, values replaced and belief systems corrupted.
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