Skip to main content

Shark Week megalodon lie damages Discovery's credibility

Discovery’s Channel’s beloved Shark Week began Sunday, one that had been hyped with a clever promo. The opening special earned Shark Week’s highest ratings ever. But the network also presented a fictional show with fake footage to its viewers as nonfiction, destroying its credibility for many of them.

Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives’s lie started in its title, since it was about an extinct shark. When it concluded, it briefly showed this disclaimer:

“None of the institutions or agencies that appear in the film are affiliated with it in any way, nor have approved its contents.”

Though certain events and characters in this film have been dramatized, sightings of ‘Submarine’ continue to this day.

Megalodon was a real shark. Legends of giant sharks persist all over the world. There is still debate about what they may be.”

That’s an understatement. As a Discover magazine writer wrote in an open letter to the network, “Megalodons were real, incredible, fascinating sharks. There’s a ton of actual science about them that is well worth a two hour special. … You chose, instead, to mislead your viewers with 120 minutes of bullshit.”

Incredibly, it was produced for Discovery by Pilgrim Studios, creators of Top Shot, Dirty Jobs, and other high-quality nonfiction, which makes this decision all the more baffling. (Animal Planet’s similar fake documentary Mermaids: The Body Found fooled some people, but it was also more clearly fictional, starting with its subject matter.)

Here’s how the network described the special in a press release:

“In Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives (WT), Discovery brings SHARK WEEK viewers on a search for a massive killer great white shark responsible for a rash of fatalities off the coast of South Africa. One controversial scientist believes that the shark responsible could be Megalodon, a 60-foot relative of the great white that is one of the largest and most powerful predators in history. Our oceans remain 95% unexplored, and this massive prehistoric predator has always been shrouded in secrecy, but after a rash of newly discovered evidence, authorities are forced to investigate whether this predator, long thought to be extinct, could still be lurking in our deepest oceans. A crew of scientists and shark experts examine evidence.”

That sounds like a plausible nonfiction special. But the footage, below, was clearly not.

Wil Wheaton dissects this well, saying Discovery owes viewers an apology:

“In a cynical ploy for ratings, the network deliberately lied to its audience and presented fiction as fact. Discovery Channel betrayed its audience. …

Last night, Discovery Channel betrayed that trust during its biggest viewing week of the year. Discovery Channel isn’t run by stupid people, and this was not some kind of mistake. Someone made a deliberate choice to present a work of fiction that is more suited for the SyFy channel as a truthful and factual documentary. That is disgusting, and whoever made that decision should be ashamed.”

Update, Aug. 7, 2013: This post was edited to add the two additional disclaimer sentences that also briefly appeared on screen; the original version of this story included just one that referenced events being “dramatized.”


View the original article here

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

<b>Reality TV</b> gets its own Comic-Con with Audrina Patridge, Nick <b>...</b>

Reality TV gets its own Comic-Con with Audrina Patridge, Nick Cannon and more | Show Tracker | Los Angeles Timesbody {background-color:#ffffff !important;}ul#root li.navLink a {padding-top:17px; padding-right:4px; padding-bottom:16px; padding-left: 5px;} Subscribe/Manage Account Place An Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals More Classifieds Custom Publishing Entertainment HOME LOCAL L.A. Now Politics Crime Education O.C. Westside Neighborhoods Environment Obituaries Findlocal U.S. Politics Now Top of the Ticket Science & Environment Obituaries Religion WORLD Afghanistan & Pakistan Africa Asia Europe Iran Iraq Latin America Mexico Under Siege Middle East Business Money & Co. Technology Personal Finance Small Business Company Town Jobs Real Estate Autos SPORTS Lakers Clippers Dodgers Angels USC UCLA Kings Ducks Soccer High Schools Bleacher Report ENTERTA...

Kourtney Kardashian Announces New Clothing Line

« Kanye West Wears Kim Kardashian Nude Pic Over His Heart | Home | Kelly Clarkson And Brandon Blackstock Got Married This Weekend » October 21, 2013 02:07 PM by Stephanie Gustafson Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian are well known for starring in today’s hottest reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. But the three sisters are intent on expanding their reach beyond the realm of entertainment. They’ve already made headway with the Kardashian Kollection and now, are continuing to take on the fashion world with a brand new clothing line. Kardashian fans across the nation love donning the creations of their idols, Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian. The sisters have continually impressed with the recessionista outfits made possible through the popular Kardashian Kollection. Now, though, the trio have set their sites on high-end fashion, which is why they’re excited to announce the debut of a new collaboration with Lipsy. During a recent chat with Hello Magazine, Kourtney Kardashi...

Midwife Linda Abbott returns to Leeds General in tonight’s One Born Every Minute

Home > Factual > Midwife Linda Abbott returns to Leeds General in tonight’s One Born Every Minute January 30th, 2013 by Lisa McGarry. One Born Every Minute returns to Channel 4 tonight for the fifth episode of it’s current season and this evening’s instalment sees the return of a familiar face. Midwife Linda Abbott is back in Leeds General, after retiring only twelve months ago. The seasoned practitioner realised that she wasn’t ready to put the world of work and child bearing behind her and it was lucky she did, as the staff and patients at the hospital certainly missed her presence. She describes herself as an ‘old bird’ her years of experience are just whats needed, especially in two of tonight’s cases. The episode focuses on two fathers with very different bedside manners and approaches to their partners and expanding families. Joel could not be more attentive to his wife Rachel and is keen that it is just him and her alone when their baby is delivered.. Rachel and Joel’s...