Wry Catcher
Diamond Member
- Banned
- #1
Food for thought:
“Wag the Dog” is a 1997 film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. The films follow an unnamed President, who gets embroiled in a sex scandal two weeks before the Presidential election. To help quell the situation, the President enlists the help of political consultant Conrad Brean, who determines that the best course of action is to distract the American people by constructing a fake diversionary war. Brean then enlists the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to use the media to manipulate the public into believing that the US is at war with Albania. Despite the fact that many doubts are raised about the war, the efforts of Brean and Motss successfully distracted the American public from the President’s scandal and helped to rally support behind him during the closing days of the Presidential election. “Wag the Dog” explores themes such as the relationship between the media and politics, how the media shapes public opinion and the control that the mass media has within society. Additionally, examples of political communication theory can be used to explain the events in “Wag the Dog.”
“Wag the Dog” is a 1997 film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. The films follow an unnamed President, who gets embroiled in a sex scandal two weeks before the Presidential election. To help quell the situation, the President enlists the help of political consultant Conrad Brean, who determines that the best course of action is to distract the American people by constructing a fake diversionary war. Brean then enlists the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to use the media to manipulate the public into believing that the US is at war with Albania. Despite the fact that many doubts are raised about the war, the efforts of Brean and Motss successfully distracted the American public from the President’s scandal and helped to rally support behind him during the closing days of the Presidential election. “Wag the Dog” explores themes such as the relationship between the media and politics, how the media shapes public opinion and the control that the mass media has within society. Additionally, examples of political communication theory can be used to explain the events in “Wag the Dog.”