• Shark Week bites: Discovery criticized for hugely misleading documentary
    103 replies, posted
[quote]Viewers have rallied around the Discovery Channel's Shark Week for decades over its unabashed love of science and its glorification of violent sea creatures. But this year's event, which kicked off last night with the documentary [I]Megalodon: The Monster Shark That Lives[/I], may have committed a cardinal sin: lying to viewers about sharks. It should be no hard work talking up the megalodon. It was a massive, 50-foot-long creature with a jaw capable of crushing an automobile. However, the ancient shark is known to have gone extinct around 2 million years ago,[B] but Discovery instead presented the beast as an almost mythical creature that could still be alive today. According to Discovery's online poll, which was captured by Discover Magazine before being altered, the film succeeded in convincing nearly three-quarters of respondents that the long-extinct megalodon was still alive.[/B][/quote] [url]http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/5/4590706/discovery-starts-shark-week-with-fake-megalodon-documentary[/url] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XFLh-pY6nA&feature=player_embedded[/media] [img]http://i.imgur.com/YoJ5uUT.png[/img] So Discovery kicks off Shark Week by trying to pass off a fake documentary as fact, using "evidence" from events that [I]never happened[/I], and Marine Biologists that [I]don't exist[/I], to try to make people believe a shark that went extinct millions of years ago still exists. No disclaimers, no warning that people are being fed lies, no respect for their viewers. I was watching the Twitter hashtag while watching it and the amount of people that actually thought they were watching a real documentary was staggering. Luckily [I]actual[/I] shark biologists were calling out the show for the bullshit that it was. It's actually a pretty disgusting move from Discovery. They didn't even attempt to say it was all fabricated fun. They tried to deceive. I stopped taking Shark Week as a serious attempt to inform the public about sharks years ago, but outright misleading your loyal viewers is disgusting. At least the Mermaid documentary which so many people believed that it [URL="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48065838/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/really-mermaids-dont-exist-noaa-website-notes/#.UgAatm14Cjc"]warranted a press release from the NOAA stating that mermaids don't exist[/URL] had a disclaimer that it was fake.
Wait people still believe the shit they see on discovery channel? I am convinced they just make shit up for views and don't give a fuck if it is wrong because they already got their money.
This is not a new thing. They made up shit about mermaids being real in documentary style before. [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaids:_The_Body_Found[/url]
[QUOTE=Harpuia;41725359]This is not a new thing. They made up shit about mermaids being real in documentary style before. [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaids:_The_Body_Found[/url][/QUOTE] [QUOTE=OvB;41725267]At least the Mermaid documentary which so many people believed that it [URL="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48065838/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/really-mermaids-dont-exist-noaa-website-notes/#.UgAatm14Cjc"]warranted a press release from the NOAA stating that mermaids don't exist[/URL] had a disclaimer that it was fake.[/QUOTE] i guess the shark one didn't have such a disclaimer.
[QUOTE=Harpuia;41725359]This is not a new thing. They made up shit about mermaids being real in documentary style before. [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaids:_The_Body_Found[/url][/QUOTE] I remember this. My mom and sister insisted mermaids were real after they saw this, with their evidence being the show and the "fact" that "You can't CG that footage they had, the technology just isn't there to make it look that lifelike".
Shark week is pretty boring, TBH.
My dad was watching this to him. I had to explain how the Megalodon couldn't be alive today for about 10-15 minutes. What the fuck happened to Discovery Channel? It used to be science and cool shit. Now it's reality shows about people smuggling moonshine and other stupid shit 24/7.
[QUOTE=Tucan Sam;41725289]Wait people still believe the shit they see on discovery channel? I am convinced they just make shit up for views and don't give a fuck if it is wrong because they already got their money.[/QUOTE] Discovery channel and history channel. Completely misleading names that's for sure. History channel sometimes will have some interesting shows on WW2 or medieval times late at night but that is it.
It's all shitty reality series now, like every other channel. The only show they've had in recent years that I liked was Penn and Tellers, and they up and cancelled it after the first season.
[QUOTE=Frisk;41725446]I remember this. My mom and sister insisted mermaids were real after they saw this, with their evidence being the show and the "fact" that "You can't CG that footage they had, the technology just isn't there to make it look that lifelike".[/QUOTE] At the end of the Mermaids show there was a disclaimer. [img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/xpX3GF5.png[/img_thumb] [img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/A1eO50k.png[/img_thumb] At the end of the Megalodon show all it said was something along the lines of: [quote]1. None of the institutions or agencies that appear in the film are affiliated with it. 2. Though some of the events and characters in this film have been dramatized but sightings of submarine continue. [B]3. Megalodon was a real shark. Legends of giant sharks persist all over the world. There is still debate what they may be.[/B][/quote] There's a stark difference between "Fictional" and "Dramatized." Typically, dramatizations in documentaries are recreations of events that actually happened. In this case, they were recreations of events that never happened. [editline]5th August 2013[/editline] The show is on today if you want to see it for yourself.
Yeah, I don't think either of them actually finished the mermaid show. They saw enough to convince themselves it's real.
[QUOTE=Aman;41725488]Discovery channel and history channel. Completely misleading names that's for sure. History channel sometimes will have some interesting shows on WW2 or medieval times late at night but that is it.[/QUOTE] I've seen plenty of historical documentaries on H2 on during the day, that is if you have H2.
Was their primary source Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus?
History and Discovery channels are mostly crap these days Seriously, what does it say when I can watch a documentary on the first emperor of China on the Military Channel and I can watch idiots talking about Mayans worshiping aliens on the History Channel?
[QUOTE=Frisk;41725588]Yeah, I don't think either of them actually finished the mermaid show. They saw enough to convince themselves it's real.[/QUOTE] The same group of Marine Biologists that attacked the hashtags for the Megalodons show also attacked the Mermaid ones. [url]http://storify.com/WhySharksMatter/mermaids-are-not-real?awesm=sfy.co_iKr7&utm_source=t.co&utm_campaign=&utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter[/url] (I actually have two tweets somewhere in that list!) That was a fun day. "Mermaids" has sort of become a joke now in that particular community.
The only shows left on the Discovery that are worth watching are Curiosity and Mythbusters.
Network Decay
[QUOTE=Harpuia;41725359]This is not a new thing. They made up shit about mermaids being real in documentary style before. [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaids:_The_Body_Found[/url][/QUOTE] Hey now, they actually state that the Mermaids mockumentary was fake. And that shit was a good watch, don't be hating
Discovery still has Mythbusters. I also Kinda like Pawn Stars (if you ignore the fabricated plots) and American Pickers. Both channels are mostly crap now though.
I thought I was the only one who thought that documentary was incredibly fake. Thanks for confirming
[QUOTE='[sluggo];41726097']Discovery still has Mythbusters. I also Kinda like Pawn Stars (if you ignore the fabricated plots) and American Pickers. Both channels are mostly crap now though.[/QUOTE] Occasionally they do show their older shows like Modern Marvels, but yes they're mostly reality shows now. They really need to change their fucking names. [B] EDIT[/B] Only the Military, Travel, and Food channels are sticking with their named purpose.(Although the Military channel does venture into subjects outside of the military at times if it's somehow related with a war) while the other informational/documentary channels have devolved into shows about conspiracy theorists, hunting cryptids or ghosts, or other bullshit subjects including who knows how many fucking shows they made about the world ending.
Who cares its entertainment?
[QUOTE=Bbarnes005;41726134]Occasionally they do show their older shows like Modern Marvels, but yes they're mostly reality shows now. They really need to change their fucking names.[/QUOTE] God I miss Modern Marvels. I love that show.
How did they end up making something look less real than the SotC ARG and still have people believe it?
Watching the video, it honestly feels like I'm watching someone's movie maker video about 9/11
shark week is a fucking disgrace and does nothing but fill peoples heads with the stereotype that all sharks are giant, violent, killing, machines.
[QUOTE=Jund;41725654]History and Discovery channels are mostly crap these days Seriously, what does it say when I can watch a documentary on the first emperor of China on the Military Channel and I can watch idiots talking about Mayans worshiping aliens on the History Channel?[/QUOTE] I wish I had the military channel.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;41726270]I wish I had the military channel.[/QUOTE] The military channel is the last stronghold of actually good historical TV. H2, back when it was History International was great, and the Science Channel used to be good, but now the Military Channel is all that's left.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;41726270]I wish I had the military channel.[/QUOTE] Well the Military Channel has it's ups and downs too, but at least they usually pertain to the same subject matter. Their main problem is that most of the shows they broadcast can be down right boring and drag on for hours.
[QUOTE='[sluggo];41726152']God I miss Modern Marvels. I love that show.[/QUOTE] Its on H2 now. Speaking of missing shows, I miss junkyard wars, or scrapheap challenge for you brits out there.
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