The Talmud once said that 'if you add to the truth, you subtract from it'. Today I'll be talking about how two texts, the Siege episode from Frontline and Kuczynski’s illustration ‘Cleaner’ reflect this quote through the use of satire. So firstly what is satire? Satire is a style of literature that ridicules its subject often as an attempt to bring about change. Frontline represents this genre as it uses juxtaposition, symbolism, irony and exaggeration to expose the dirty tactics used by the media to attain high ratings. Ethical issues such as media integrity and sensationalism were targeted as well as real life events parodied for satiric emphasis.
The truth is manipulated when Martin crouches in front of the house to create a fake impression of danger; Stu says "the gunman is 5km away". Martin replies with "its dark, no one's going to know", which clearly shows the manipulation of the truth and creation of a totally fabricated context to create a more interesting story.
Juxtaposition is used when Marty believes another TV station has the gunman on the telephone, and says “you’ve crossed the line mate” which is immediately contrasted with “you beauty” when he realises it's Frontline. The contrasts in reactions from Marty reinforce the way in which he is determined to tell the 'truth' about the siege as long as it helps boost his ratings. An example of symbolism is Brian’s son who represents how the media has complete disregard for the real world. This is shown when he is constantly ignored by his father. Irony is also used when everyone seems to forget about the children and the danger they are in, suggesting that the importance of the story lies only in the ratings that are brought with it. Facial expressions are exaggerated when Brooke is overly sentimental during the interview with Gavin's mother, demonstrating that to the media, it's only the story that counts, not the people involved.
The satiric focus extends beyond the media industry, condemning the...