Documentary-Makers Think Outside Idiot Box

by Anthony McClellan - The Australian

The power of an idea should never be underestimated and neither should the power of the polemic. In the war on terror, which has been official probably only since September 2001, much of the debate has been centred on the obvious and shocking violence perpetrated by those we call terrorists. But has there been sufficient thought or public debate as to who it is we are fighting?

Much of the coverage in the international media, including Australian media, suggests we are more comfortable accepting the comic-book type definition and understandable simplicity of terrorism that our political masters have defined for us.

The power of the media as a vehicle for original analysis in this complex area has not really been exploited until now.

Adam Curtis is a BBC producer who has put together a three-part documentary series (The Power of Nightmares) that turns on their head many of the prevailing and dominant public perceptions about the HQ of Terrorism Inc, al-Qa'ida. SBS aired it earlier this month. It was a use of the visual medium to strongly argue a heretical perspective, similar to Michael Moore but much smarter.

In a nutshell, it argues that our political leaders have deliberately exaggerated the perceived threat from international terrorism. It's "a fantasy that has been exaggerated and distorted by politicians. It is a dark illusion that has spread unquestioned through governments around the world, the security services and the international media".

And at the heart of this lie two opposed groups tied together in a bizarre and symbiotic relationship, the American neo-conservatives, typified by Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz, and the radical Islamists. It's in both their interests for us to accept the one-dimensional view of international terror pushed on us.

And the media across the world, according to Curtis, have been active and willing dupes in this game. Space does not permit a line-by-line review, but suffice it to say that it is a thought-provoking analysis that should be argued more widely.

George W. Bush famously defined al-Qa'ida as "to terror what the mafia is to crime".

It's that simplistic and one-dimensional view that Osama bin Laden is this all-powerful and controlling monster, with sleeper cells all across the globe waiting to be woken, that Curtis says is the danger. That total misunderstanding fails to explain what al-Qa'ida really is, or is not, and by so doing leaves us exposed to the real threats.

Curtis does not dispute that terror and terrorists exist, are organised and are a real threat. But he seeks to explain why and how the paradigm given to us by our political leadership is wrong. In this he does a public service not often seen in the media. It's refreshing to watch a political heretic at work.

Much of television is junk, but this series shows how powerful TV can be as a medium for ideas if done properly: in this case, the subversive idea that we have all been had. Curtis's series was so disturbing to the BBC that it commissioned another three-part documentary in response, The New al-Qaeda by Peter Taylor.

SBS also showed Taylor's documentary this month. A more descriptive piece of TV, it attempted to debunk Curtis's work by detailing many of the better known acts of terror, for example the Madrid bombings, and who was behind them.

In that, it did a good job, but never did it convincingly tackle Curtis's main point.

Taylor's work also in one sense proved part of Curtis's thesis. Curtis says the media and the power elites are in bed together on this issue, as it is in their mutual interest to be so. Bigger audiences come naturally when we are scared to death that we are about to blown apart on the subway.

Taylor had remarkable access to top-level political and intelligence authorities, including one of the most senior generals in the US, and even the President of Pakistan helped Taylor lay out his explanation of how dangerous al-Qa'ida really is.

Curtis, on the other hand, went into some of the more fascinating detail that we don't read about in today's media. Such as the quirky claim that the term al-Qa'ida was never used by bin Laden until after September 11. It was only then, after the Americans had named it this way, that bin Laden saw the power of the brand that the US had handed him. Bin Laden was effectively terrorism's first marketing manager. Taylor, in his first hour (Jihad.com), gives an equally fascinating insight into how the jihadists use the media so effectively, with many suicide bombings filmed from three angles, edited and rushed fresh on to the web. Instant terror, instant replay.

Taylor verbally bashes up on camera a British-based Arab webmaster who hosts many of the sites that show the jihadists' grisly work. A sledgehammer to crack a nut, but the webmaster, who saw it all as a legitimate part of the propaganda war, was personified by Taylor as one of those we are all against and who should be stopped. The webmaster probably regrets trying to explain his point of view.

These six hours of television should be watched by anyone interested in trying to understand what it is we should be scared of. In an age when we are handing more and more power to our governments, which restrict what we can do and say, we should at least try to comprehend why.

Needless to say, Nightmares has not been screened on mainstream US TV. But that's another story.


Anthony McClellan has worked in senior current affairs roles at the Seven and Nine networks. He runs media strategy company AMC Media.

Enter your search terms

This Site Web Submit search form