There is no doubt that reality television shows are watched by many people because of the fact that such shows are marketed as unscripted. Although reality TV shows may not be scripted, they are heavily edited and in that respect, they lose their authenticity. Raw footage is taken to graphic designers and editors, who in turn filter and control what the viewers see (Biltereyst, n.d). Consequently, reality television shows distort reality in the sense that content is not presented honestly and in context.
Reality television shows of cops are not very different from fictional shows of cops. In fictional shows, the content is scripted and fabricated to meet the demands of the producers. The actors are carefully selected to fit the roles they are intended to act (Morreale, 2005). On the other hand, reality television shows may not be fabricated, but they do not present reality because the producers have control over what the audience sees (Morreale, 2005). In that respect, reality television shows are similar to fictional shows because they filter the original content.
Both reality televisions shows and fictional shows are misleading. For the fictional shows, they mislead the viewers by giving half-truths and propagating stereotypes. For the reality television shows, they mislead the viewers by leaving out some information contained in the raw footage, which might be crucial in letting the audience judge the content of the show for themselves. In a CNN’s video (2008) posted on YouTube, Paco Fabian, the Communications Director of America’s Voice, argues that the new cop show by the name Smile You’re Under Arrest would be distorting reality because it would not show the bad side of the cops. For example, the audience will not be shown that crime rates have increased in the area. In addition, they (the audience) will not see the racial profiling propagated against the Latino community.
Nonetheless, any television show (fictional or reality) can encourage or discourage criminal activity. In some cases, criminals borrow ideas from fictional shows. Criminals can also watch reality television shows to know how to evade arrest and perpetrate crime. The shows can also discourage criminal behavior by portraying how easy it easy to be arrested and made to account for one’s crime. The only positive side of police reality TV shows that is not debatable is the fact that they are good for the public image of the police.
References
Biltereyst, D. (n.d.). Media audiences and the game of controversy: On reality tv, moral panic and controversial media stories. Retrieved January 7, 2016, from csuohio.edu: http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/frames/phx/creativegeography/biltereyst_04.pdf
Morreale, J. (2005). Reality TV, faking it, and the transformation of personal indentity. CLC Web: Comparative Literature and Culture, 7.2.
CNN. 'America's Voice' Spokeshole Bewails Arpaio's Reality Show. [video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ7z54yHJic
