I have heard somewhere that more people recognised the Will Farrell version of George W. Bush than the real one. Why not? He is so much more than the real W. could ever be - So much more likeable, funny, and interesting. Our last assignment had to do with an analysis of the news, reflecting on this made me uneasy. I was overwhelmed - the fake news is already interpreted for us, and who does not love to laugh?
But because we as people identify so much more with comedy and sketches of reality rather than the real thing, these people who create these "fake news" programs hold real sway. Jon Stewart's apperance on Crossfire was a prime example of this. He was hounded for his journalistic discrepancies, who he has on his show holds some sort of sway according to some experts.
My students could most certainly be prompted to think in this way. The idea of the character sketch could be taken into the visual arts rhelm in a number of ways. The first with the fake news idea. Students could develop their own spin on any current issue. What would any pop artist have to say about the oil spill for example? An investigation into the real lives of people in the media, and their feelings on any issue are written in magazines and recorded on soundbites. It would be interesting to investigate what popular idols really think of the world issues.
Another route would involve a art history investigation of the political cartoon. It would be a wonderful tie in into this issue. Political cartoons are one of the first modern cartooning artforms, and they are a serious influence in our culture. Students could investigate this real news/fake news under the context of the political cartoon. The artistic liberty allowed in this reguard offers a great interdiscipliary investigation into history, politics, current events, media, art, and literature.
I love the idea for the political cartoon investigation. I teach satire to my students and political cartoons are a staple for this type of writing and commentary. I tell my students that one of the main things to remember when understanding political cartoons is that they need to be up to date on current events or they will miss out on the joke. They won't get it. so I have them do a "scavenger hunt" for satire examples. They can only print out what they understand and then they have to analyze the content of the cartoon. Who is the target? What is the message of the cartoon? What techniques are used to convey that message? Why is this an effective tool to propose change or bring our attention to this topic. Once they get the connection and understand the importance of knowing the real news to get the fake news, they see the power of satire and the importance of "speaking out" using these cartoons.