According to Boorstein [in The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America], the documentary is a 'pseudo-event,' and not simply a facsimile of the event itself. A pseudo-event is planned rather than spontaneous; functions primarily for the purpose of bei

According to Boorstein [in The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America], the documentary is a 'pseudo-event,' and not simply a facsimile of the event itself. A pseudo-event is planned rather than spontaneous; functions primarily for the purpose of being reported or reproduced; has an ambiguous relationship to reality in that the image rather than the event becomes the object of study; and is usually intended to be a self-fulfilling prophecy; i.e., constructed to provide a consistent interpretation.