The duties of documentary in a post-truth society

Abstract

Documentary filmmakers have been telling stories since Nanook of the North (Robert J. Flaherty 1922). What is relatively new is a particular self-consciousness about storytelling as a craft. Documentary filmmakers today read screenwriting manuals, study dramatic works and deliberately borrow strategies from fiction films. Even those with experimental leanings frequently describe their work in terms of stories. This tendency, for the most part, seems harmless enough: it is simply an appeal to audience interests. However, it has disturbing resonance with another form of self-conscious storytelling that has recently taken root in the culture: fake news. On the surface, fake news and documentary storytelling do different things and stem from different impulses. Still, beneath the surface, it is quite possible that both reflect a growing disregard for truth in the wider culture—a supposed phenomenon that pundits have labelled “post-truth.