BogdanFieldFilmNotes2

Toxic Sludge is Good for You, 2002 [] Executive Producers: Loretta Alper & Sut Jhally Producer: Margo Robb Editor: Jeremy Smith

The film highlights the faults in our independent news sources and our public relations in the United States. What society may think is a story written by an independent journalist may actually be a paid advertisement by big industry.

The most persuasive and compelling parts of the film to me were the real examples of news stories that were paid to be put on the air. For example, the false advertising for the “incredible” benefits of orange juice and the “amazing effects” of grape seeds on one’s body. This was compelling to me because I have been fooled by these arguments in the past, believing everything I heard on the 6 o’clock news when I was a kid.

A large part of the film that I did not like is it implied that Americans were essentially brainwashed. One of the tags for the film was “brainwashing”. I don’t think the directors gave enough credit to people who saw past the poor news casts or unethical public relations. It did not suggest organizations for the general public to get involved in if indeed they felt inclined to fight the system. Corrective action that I see fit for this type of situation is educational programs like the sustainability education class. If the public is not aware that there may be lies in the media, they will live in ignorance.

To improve the educational aspect of the film, I would focus the film more on environmental issues that have an effect on the average American citizen. They do talk about sludge for farmers, the large gas companies and oil spills; among other larger issues but many of these issues won’t have a personal effect on viewers.

After watching the video, I was motivated to research the following topics: Corporate Controlled Media: [] News Apps: []