With the forthcoming Albertan, American, and possibly Canadian elections on the horizon, questions of accountability and integrity are paramount in the minds of the electorate. Who can you trust? Can you trust a politician? More worryingly, can you even trust the sources who are reporting on the politicians? Sadly, after viewing the tremendous documentary Spin by director Bryan Springer, it’s impossible to answer yes to any of these questions.

Springer’s film focuses on the 1992 American electoral race and various news stories that in some way fed into or out of that event. Springer spent a year accessing live satellite feeds—raw feeds that are pumped directly to television networks and news channels before being packaged, processed, and regurgitated for your consumption—to create a funny and frightening look  on how information is manipulated, suppressed and influenced by Big Media. 

1992 was the year of Clinton I versus Bush I and the emergence of television news (specifically Larry King) as the prime source America turns to for all its information needs. It was also the year that political coverage became profitable: for the first time in history, the advertising revenues from that year’s political coverage was greater than what it cost to report it. Spin illustrates the implications of this power shift to the corporate few by focusing on stories that were not covered by the various big media outlets because of their overly “sensitive” natures.

Examples include the case of Democratic presidential candidate Larry Agran, who wanted to cut defense spending by 50 per cent and use the surplus to revitalize urban municipalities—but instead was ignored by reporters, and then barred from the debate process because he hadn’t received enough exposure from big media. 

Network coverage of the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict is also examined (especially the decision to cover the riots from helicopters instead of the streets, thereby eliminating the voice of the dissenters), as well as the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of the Americas (which included practically no commentary from indigenous peoples) and the political rise of Pat Robertson and the Christian far right and their demands for “fair and balanced” media coverage.

The footage is terrifying and telling because it presents all the off-camera comments, all the preening and maneuvering of the powers who are more concerned about protecting their interests than thorough reporting. The film is also laugh-out-loud funny: Springer’s dry commentary and his razor-sharp editing combine to expose the Orwellian realities of the global media universe. It’s also refreshing to see a film free from the aesthetic grandstanding that is becoming more of the norm within the documentary genre.

Before you go out to vote on Monday, I urge you to spend an hour watching this truly revolutionary piece of enlightenment—and to take note of the fact that in 2008, network satellite feeds around the world are now scrambled. I wonder why.

Watch Spin online at www.video.google.ca or www.illegal-art.org.