Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film (Communications, Media and Culture Series)

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Summary: Essential Reading on Independent Documentary
Review: B.J. Bullert provides compelling view into recent documentaries that have taken a controversial political viewpoint and have had run-ins with the public broadcasting system. The book is organized with a clear case by case structure. Bullert describes in egaging detail the difficulties that filmmakers with socially challenging documentaries have had with the PBS hierarchy and station managers. The sections on "Roger and Me" and "Tongues Untied" are particularly thorough and thought provoking. Public Television : Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film is an accessible, insightful and essential companion to any college-level documentary film class looking into the distribution and broadcast of American independent documentaries with a strong point of view.