The need for villains
STORYTELLING, especially for epics featuring super-heroes, need to have villains. How else can the sometimes underdog hero triumph and seem larger than life if not by trouncing an evil foe?
When the villain is exaggerated with his power and devious designs, the hero gains in stature and unites the people behind him. This need for villains is understood by rulers. Framing problems in terms of usversus-them can deflect criticism on leadership failures.
News and the subjects they cover tend to slant stories into a contest to make the narrative more compelling, a telenovela of life in a place full of unpleasant surprises. Presenting issues with simple statistics is possible with shipping schedules and canceled flights due to a storm. But news on how a sports event is organized or how greedy investors need to be put in their place require some conflict, not necessarily resolved.
Here are some ways news organizations, and especially social media, tilt their reporting with villainous intent.
They solicit the views of supposed experts who will demolish a media subject citing vested interests and conspiracy theories. Hosts of talk shows or blogs show their impartiality with a statement: the views expressed by our guest do not reflect those of the station. But we do love to feature her in all our programs.
They select unflattering video moments. This simple editorial prerogative allows media to feature a subject in mid-yawn or smirking at the speaker on the podium, perhaps with the glee of someone watching a cockroach making its way to the speaker’s collar. The camera shutter clicks as a dignified personality sneaks a thumb into the nostril awaiting his turn. Such visuals require no dialogue.
Choosing emotionally charged modifiers and characterizations provide just the right spin. Crowds can be described as an unruly mob or with a tight close-up of a dozen placard-bearers, a group of concerned citizens. They can be referred to as a cross-section of different sectors of society or a motley assembly of jobless riff-raff.
Man-on-the-street interviews are a convenient way of slanting opinion. Out of 10, maybe only three are featured in the news. Anonymous interviewees can be guided by the way the question is asked. They are seldom identified by name and occupation and seem to be hurrying off to the washroom when caught by the interviewer.
Editing video clips determines if a subject seems coherent or inconsistent. The “sound bite” lasts five to 10 seconds and the news editor decides which parts of a long answer to feature. “He has shown a mastery of the political process... but it seems he is still uncomfortable with dealing with the investment climate.” Playing the full statement or only one part of it makes the comment balanced or biased.
News programs now feature tweets or netizen comments (always unidentified) to show which side of an issue the viewers favor. Questions can be twisted to invite the desired results. “Are you in favor of sex education to introduce widespread promiscuity in schools giving way to teenage pregnancies with students doing their thing inside the toilet for the disabled?” The unsurprising result supporting a “No” is projected as a rejection of sex education in school.
Hosts of talk shows or blogs show their impartiality with a statement: the views expressed by our guest do not reflect those of the station. But we do love to feature her in all our programs.
Balanced reporting in media seems more honored in the breach. Bias determines what stories to feature and in which segment. While facts may be objective, they can still be selected in search of the required villain. Ratings or circulation numbers love controversy.
News subjects have learned the need for villains.
Instead of admitting a failure of policy, some convenient villain (cooperative with his silence) is conjured to whip up the masses and sidestep a crisis, even one that is still to come. With the dominance of social media, a lynch mob hysteria can be mobilized to order, the way old-fashioned rallies used to be organized with the provision of food, transport, and money to mobs for rent.
Media hysteria can be tiresome. Like fake news, it can be churned out to order. Gone are the broadcasters known to be on the take for demolition jobs. In their place are anonymous influencers who can choreograph chaos and create villains, and they’re not necessarily cheaper, even if some of them are barely out of high school.
The search for villains, and their vilification, is an occupation that is ideal for working from home... with no need to commute.