A modern look at the people who were the 鈥楥entral Park Five鈥 鈥 let our experts help discuss the media鈥檚 role in shaping the narrative
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The recent release of the Netflix series 鈥淲hen They See Us鈥 about the Central Park Five raises questions about the power of the media in the public鈥檚 perception of news stories. The narrative is different with this production than it was in the media when the trials were going on, and still today, the media has the power to shape 鈥 or sensationalize 鈥 a news story.
In this version, the four-part series attempts to portray what happened and just how this tragic event impacted so many lives for so long.
鈥淥ver the course of the series, the audience watches the boys, who are all between 14 and 16, get coerced into confessing to a crime they didn鈥檛 commit. 鈥 While other dramas of this kind often focus on victims and investigators, the focus here is on the accused. It鈥檚 a haunting story that shares a space with the innumerable podcasts, films and limited-run docuseries that try to rationalize and memorialize true crime incidents of years past.鈥 鈥 VICE.com
Films 鈥 and the way they are made 鈥 are changing, and some are attempting to change the public鈥檚 perception of how actual historic events in America happened.
- This comes with benefits and no doubt, risks.
- What challenges do writers and directors take on when trying to tell a true story from our past?
- How has this been done correctly 鈥 and what happens if it fails?
- And is it up to the entertainment industry to educate audiences about the truth in our collective past?
There are a lot of questions, and that鈥檚 where the experts from 黑料正能量 can help.
Dr. Matthew Buzzell is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose films have screened at festivals the world over and been broadcast nationally on PBS, Turner Classic Movies and Netflix. Matthew is available to speak with media at any time 鈥 simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Matthew Buzzell
Associate Professor, Department of Art and Design
Matthew Buzzell is an award-winning filmmaker whose films have been screened and distributed internationally.