Documentaries: factual or fictional? It seems as if documentaries have become increasingly popular lately. There are however some questions regarding these films. Are they bias? Are they fiction or nonfiction? Kaleb Stewart wrote an article speaking out about documentaries. He expresses in his writing that they don’t always show the truth.
In Stewart’s article “Documentaries Need to be Factual Not Fictional” the author takes the Toulmin approach. He claims that “there is no subtext that allows directors to take the liberty of falsifying information and contorting it to further filify views opposite from their own.” He uses one specific example that he spoke about throughout his writing. The documentary film Under the Gun where the director Stephanie Soechting according to Stewart willingly made it seem as though a pro-gun group was stunned by a question of “how VCDT would prevent weapons from getting into the hands of criminals” due to a long, dramatic pause. According to Stewart the pause was not in fact there. The question was answered rather quickly and Soechting admitted to editing the film, adding the pause. She defended herself saying she is the director of the film and she felt it was necessary to have the pause so the viewers can have time to think about the question. Another statement that Stewart brought to light was when Soechting also
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Therefore, documentary films can be biased. It is hard to believe a film that is purposely changed to show someone’s point of view. It all falls in the hands of the director and producers so if they have a certain stand they most likely will reflect that in the