Making news into theatre meaning? [closed]

Question

What is the meaning of this? I am currently studying Canadian and world issues and in one question, it is asking for the meaning of this and an example, please help, I really do not know what does ''making news into theatre'' mean

Answer 1

Making news into theater means that the news organization is paying more attention to the entertainment potential of the news than its information provision aspect. Or worse, actively orchestrating the news.

As an example, a United States news channel once planted an incendiary device on a vehicle so as to be able to take a picture of the vehicle exploding. At the time, that type of vehicle was accused of having a high likelihood of gasoline tank explosions. Obviously they could have delivered that information without an exploding vehicle. But it makes for better television to show an exploding truck when talking about an exploding truck.

A US news organization was investigating reports that a grocery store was stocking expired food on the shelves. So they filmed a journalist working undercover stocking expired food on the shelf. Then a journalist took the food item off the shelf and bought the item from a register staffed by another undercover journalist. But the allegation wasn't that it was possible for an employee to stock expired food on the shelf. It was alleged that it was official store policy.

The New York Post often complains about desnudas in Times Square in New York City. Desnudas are women who have been painted with body paint while wearing only bikini bottoms (or panties). They hug tourists and someone takes a picture. Then they harass the tourist until he or she buys the picture. Allegedly sometimes they are aggressive to the edge of violence in their harassment. A reporter asked the mayor about this phenomenon and he said that he thought the paper just wanted to print pictures of nearly naked women.

This type of accusation tends to be levied by people who are victims of the news story. As an accusation, it may or may not be accurate. Worse, news organizations do have to be aware of the entertainment value of their news. So it may be partially accurate even when unfairly levied, which makes it difficult to defend.

You may want to look for a Canadian example for your assignment.