Media Effects

I had heard about this movie from friends but I had never gone to see it. I heard from several people that this was a story about President Clinton and his affair in 1998 and the ‘fake” war in Desert Storm. Three major points stuck out to me as I watched this film. First, is the advice that you should not believe everything you see or read in the news. Second, was that the Public Relations Code of Ethics was sadly misplaced in the film. Third, that trust is extremely important in our public and professional relationships.

Wag the dog was an example of how the media can lead the public into believing lies for the purpose of money, power, or position. Just a few months after this movie was released, the real President of the United States had released a public statement on his affair with Monica Lewinsky. At the same time, the public is shown footage of Operation Desert Fox in Sudan.

When the 9/11 terrorists attacks happened, many people wondered if the footage was fictional, like the one on this clip from the movie:

This movie illustrates to the public that you can't trust the media. Was the footage from Desert Storm concocted? Did we really land on the moon? The public expects real truthful events to be reported. They go to Hollywood for entertainment. The news need to be true and unbiased.

As Public Relations Code of Ethics states:

· Protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information.

· Foster informed decision making through open communication.

· Protect confidential and private information.

· Promote healthy and fair competition among professionals.

· Avoid conflicts of interest.

·Work to strengthen the public’s trust in the profession. (Pub 12)

Every one of these were broken in the film. Brean was only interested in covering the President's backside. The publics ability to trust in Public Relations died a terrible death in this movie. Public Relations Society Of America president Judy Phair said “For public relations to be effective, it has to be built on public trust.” (Sta 11)
This was not Brean's main concern. His main concern was plausibility. What could he say to the public to distract them long enough for the President to make a better image of himself in the eyes of the people.

Unlike the public in this film, we actually know that the 9/11 terrorists attacks happened. There was physical proof beyond the footage. There have been so many falsifications made that educated individuals don't trust the media as much as they should be able to. This movie illustrates the power that the media has over our lives. The worst part is that we let them get away with it. Some place along the way, we have lost the value of what public relations are really about.