Docudramas on digital television: Journalism, simulation and lies (DOI: 10.2436/20.3000.02.6)

Abstract

The classic docudramas were created from a combination of reality, simulation and fiction. In modern television, some of these programmes try to attract viewers by having them take part in the development of the story by means of any process that has some degree of interactivity. In this way, telephone calls, text messages, e-mails or the possibilities of digital terrestrial television (DTT) have become mechanisms to both enrich the stories and capture audience. Productions of this type continue to veer away from authentic events of journalistic interest, and the showy component is given greater weight than the interests of the informative features. When one resorts thematically to dramatic situations, the temptation to invent information increases and the format becomes distanced from the rigor and precision required by journalism. Any invented actions can be presented as authentic situations by technological innovations like virtual reality. Nevertheless, the problem lies not in the machines or in the software, but in how they are used, and there are, in fact, professionals who use them to increase the quality of their work.

Key words: docudrama, documentatry, journalism, genres, television, DTT, virtual reality, technology, ethics.

Original source: Anàlisi. Quaderns de Comunicació i Cultura, 38: 17-33 (2009)