Wag the Dog Analysis

Analysis:

The movie Wag the Dog focuses on several primary areas of material that was discussed during this course, but is dominantly skewed toward the section on Public Opinion and The News Media. Wag the Dog also touches on the President, political parties and interest groups, as well as, voting, elections and campaigns.

The primary focus of the movie is how public opinion is truly impacted by the news media, and how easily it can be manipulated. It is apparent that in today’s society, the media plays a huge role in perception of our elected officials. Wag the Dog was based on Larry Beinhart’s book ‘American Hero’, which argued that the Gulf War was filmed by Hollywood producers hired by the First Bush government to save support for his failing presidency. Though satire, the movie paints a picture of political corruption and the ability of the party in power to utilize their influence to persuade the American public.

The movie begins with a breaking story that the President is being accused of sexual improprieties with a young girl who was visiting the Oval Office just days before the Election. One of his political advisors, Winifred Ames, knows that his opponent in the upcoming election will seize on the news to gain a political advantage and win the election. While the public has a right to know as much information as possible about their elected officials, the movie gives the impression that the electoral process can simply be manipulated through a diversion in the media.