MERCHANTS OF DOUBT: DO AS I SAY

I love a good documentary. A documentary takes hold of a subject and takes you behind the scenes provided a depth of coverage on the topic you normally don’t have access to. A well-made documentary combines everything possible to make it entertaining as well as informative. The problem with most documentaries these days it that they’ve become so mired in the politics of the film maker that an objective movie is rarely the end result. This isn’t just those whose politics lean left as some would have you believe but both sides are doing it.

Which brings us to MERCHANTS OF DOUBT. The movie does a great job of accomplishing the goal it sets out to from the start which is letting us know about just who is behind many of the major issues being discussed in today’s world. Who are the talking heads that the news agencies go to when they need to confirm or deny a story? And are those talking heads being up front with us or do they have a motivation to say what they do beneath the surface?

The main focus of the movie concerns those who speak out on scientific data that we are fed via news networks. It begins by going back to where it all began, the controversy and investigation into the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes decades ago. When reports that smoking could be bad for your health began to surface a counter attack was launched by the tobacco industry to sway the public. They didn’t come out and say that it was good for you which would have left a standard to hold them to. Instead, they had various spokespeople put for the possibility that it wasn’t as bad as was being said. They were planting the seeds of doubt. Were these spokespeople scientists? No. They were paid spokespeople found among the advertising industry. After all, they had a stake in this as well.

But that’s just the beginning and not the end of the story. Years pass and more scientific problems are found in numerous other topics, lately in the world of climate change. And when you look deeper into the topic, as the makers of this film have, you discover that some of the same people who were “experts” called upon to weigh in on news networks in the stories of the past are the same ones being interviewed today, or they come from the same agencies that have ties to those groups. Their goal is not to disclaim anything being said, but to plant that seed of doubt in your mind that makes you think things are not as bad as they seem.

It’s a fascinating story that needs to be told. And from the presentation done here you would assume that it is far reaching into so many things being talked about these days, everything from politics to potentially harmful products to the climate. I have no doubt that everything presented here is true. But that’s when you start to wonder. If the claim is that things can be manipulated to project a positive point of view is it possible that the makers of this film are using the same strategies to plant doubt in your mind in an effort to counter the things they find harmful?

I first began to wonder that while watching this when it became apparent that there were select groups, people or news networks that they highlighted over and over again. Some of which aren’t even on the standard cable channels. While watching those same names pop up over and over again I kept thinking that the odds that only these people or that one new network were the only ones doing this seemed astronomical. By the end credits I found that I felt those behind this movie had done the same thing they were accusing others of doing. They were attempting to manipulate the message to make it seem like anyone opposed to the issues at hand were guilty of manipulating things while trying to present themselves as not doing the same.

But here’s the thing. Even while that was happening I kept thinking that the true responsibility of looking deeper into the news we are presented isn’t up to the makers of this film not does it fall on the news networks we watch. It is up to us, the viewer, to look deeper into any and all news stories that are reported to us when it comes to so called experts weighing in on the topics at hand. It’s not a question of the left wing or right wing political proponents doing this or not, the odds are that they both do it. And that’s one of the best things about this movie. In following the same methods that they seem to be against it makes you realize that no matter who tells us what we need to be vigilant.

As for the quality of the end product the makers of this film have presented a highly polished and well thought out film. Everything from the quality of the film footage shot to the editing to the animated sequences are so well done as to make you marvel at how well they’ve put together this film. It’s slick and well-made, entertaining and informative and will hold your interest from start to finish. By the end you’ll find yourself watching the nightly news completely different than you have in the past. And truth be told, no matter what you believe, that’s all for the best.

 
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