An article I found in my mail today.....
By ELIZABETH JENSEN, TIMES STAFF WRITER
February 22, 2002
NEW YORK -- Call it "When Reality TV Goes Patriotic."
Desperate to attract viewers to what is fast becoming a struggling genre, networks and producers of so-called reality television have seized on a new concept: heartwarming stories from the front lines of the war on terrorism.
But the Pentagon's decision to allow coveted war access to entertainment producers in order to promote its war effort is raising eyebrows among observers who worry the shows will be propaganda. On one project, the Pentagon is actively involved with developing story lines. There are also concerns from news organizations that have been frustrated for months over strict limitations the Pentagon has placed on reporters' coverage of operations in Afghanistan. The cable music channel VH1 said Thursday it has teamed with producer R.J. Cutler, whose credits include the political documentary "The War Room," for a series of video diaries from military personnel. The "Military Diaries Project"--its tentative title--will put digital cameras in the hands of 60 soldiers to "tell the story of what it's like to be a young man or woman in the armed forces right now," Cutler said.
Also on the horizon is "Profiles From the Front Line," an ABC series from Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of feature action films such as "Pearl Harbor," and Bertram van Munster, whose TV credits include the reality series "Cops." While those two series won't be on the air before summer, CBS will debut "American Fighter Pilots" on March 29. Produced by Tony Scott ("Top Gun"), it was in the works well before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but is being updated to reflect the new reality.
The Pentagon has pre-screening rights over the ABC and VH1 material for national security reasons, as does the Air Force over CBS' show. But CBS and Cutler both said their series retain editorial control. The Pentagon is "not at all interested in editing the stories we're telling," Cutler said.
"We're trying to find people who are articulate, good at what they do, have a sense of humor and want to work with us to tell a story."
Van Munster also rejected the possibility that his ABC series would in some way be propaganda. "I think they're pretty realistic at the Pentagon. This is not aimed at propaganda. We're trying to do something balanced, tell real stories about Americans and the allies who are out there while we're sitting at home."
One producer of "reality," or unscripted, television has concerns, however, over just how much reality will be portrayed.
"I think our fighting men and women have a difficult enough job to do without being asked to perform on camera--as everyone who makes a reality show knows, there is always some performance involved," said Erik Nelson, whose credits include the History Channel's "Nazi America: A Secret History." "And with the obligatory Pentagon public information officers looking over everybody's shoulder, that reality could become even more unreal."
The new programs come at a time when ratings for reality series have sharply declined, with only CBS' "Survivor" continuing to draw strong prime-time audiences. Network programmers have continued to experiment with new variations on the theme, including NBC's "Fear Factor," which has ordinary people tackling death-defying or merely disgusting stunts; and ABC and Fox's competing quiz shows, "The Chair" and "The Chamber," respectively, which subject contestants to physical and mental challenges, including extreme heat and cold.
Nelson called such shows "the equivalent of flu viruses. Every year there is a different strain. Only this time, the reality is much more serious--and gravely consequential." He said he is concerned "that this unreality could ultimately give people a simplistic impression about how easily this war can be won. War is always horrifically surprising, and surprising is the one thing that prime-time entertainment seldom is."
News producers have other worries. ABC News lodged a complaint with the network's entertainment executives over the "Profiles" series, according to an executive there. (ABC News declined to comment.) Other TV news executives said they were taking a wait-and-see attitude. "If they're getting access we're not getting, then there is something wrong," said one senior news executive at another network.
For the Pentagon, "the whole issue really boils down to one size does not fit all," said Rear Adm. Craig R. Quigley, the spokesman for Central Command, which directs the military effort in Afghanistan. "There are a variety of ways of providing information to the American people. This is a great way."
The agreement with the Hollywood producers comes after five months of acrimony between the Pentagon and news organizations over the strictest rules the military has ever imposed on news coverage.
For months after the U.S. bombing began on Oct. 7, reporters were allowed no access at all to U.S. troops operating inside Afghanistan, and they were barred from traveling to neighboring countries where the Pentagon was setting up air bases. As various units headed for the region, the Pentagon refused to confirm the deployments.
When reporters were allowed to accompany troops inside Afghanistan for the first time, they were for days not permitted to quote soldiers by their full names, and at one point several reporters were locked inside a metal shed for an afternoon to prevent them from covering something.
The Pentagon has begun to waive some of the most stringent restrictions and since January has permitted several news organizations to accompany special operations forces on a mission in Afghanistan.
Joe Saltzman, associate dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication, called the programs "a perfect vehicle for the government," giving the Pentagon "a certain amount of control" over shows that will "likely emphasize patriotism and good soldiering." As long as they are labeled clearly as not being news, "I don't have a problem with them."
As for the frustration of news organizations, he said, "I don't think anybody is going to be fooled by this." Some viewers will find the material interesting, and "citizens who feel they're not getting the complete picture will be just as frustrated, whether these shows go on the air or not."
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Esther Schrader in The Times' Washington bureau contributed to this report.
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even the smiley's aren't safe.
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