A DOCUMENTARY REVIEW ON THE FILM DARK MONEY Dark money is an American documentary film that was directed by Kimberly Reed in 2018 that analyzes the influence of corporate money in American elections and America’s political system to influence them for corporate benefit. The documentary investigates dark money’s influence on politics in the state of Montana, where it tackles Montanan’s fight to preserve fair elections. The target audience for the film is the average American citizen and voter. Focusing on the themes of politics, corporate influence and corruption, dark money uncovers the reallife impacts of the US Supreme Court Citizens United Decision and reveals the grim reality of how American elections are bought and sold. It does this in an effort to call for urgent action in campaign finance reform across America in order to preserve American democracy. The term “dark money” is used to refer to political spending meant to influence the decision of a voter where the donor is not disclosed and the source of the money is unknown. The documentary opens with a commentary on Montana’s history of exploitation by industrial entities, one such example being a mining company called ‘Anaconda’ that exerted a significant influence in Montana’ politics during the 19th Century. The adverse ecological effects caused by the company and the high level of corruption resulted in Montana adopting strict campaign laws to curb corporate influence on the state in 1912. However a big change came with the Citizens United decision by the U.S Supreme Court that recognized as “people” entitled to the First Amendment right to make political contributions to the candidates of their choosing. The documentary follows an investigative journalist named John Adams who diligently works to track down the untraceable money trail and in doing so uncovers a scandal of the illegal and unethical influence peddling. The documentary features interactions with a myriad of characters like Montana State legislators, former members of Montana’s Federal Election Commission (FEC), political activists, other journalists and activists as well as other Montana officials who through their contributions help build a bigger picture on the impact of dark money. In the documentary, John Adams helps discover the cycle of dark money spending i.e. the untraceable corporate money that is laundered through Political Action Committees (PACs) and dark money organizations. This is the means through which corporations are able to absolve themselves from affiliation with the bribery that is used to influence the elections and secure loyalty from American politicians. The other side of the coin is where legislators who fail to vote in accordance with the dark money groups and their backers “corporations” end up being targeted in elections with malicious and false advertising. The false advertising is used to turn the public against them by providing them with false narratives of the politician’s 1 opinion on critical matters such as healthcare, taxes, guns and sex-ed which is not the actual views of the politicians themselves. The false adverts make it difficult for voters to make informed decisions, it diminishes the American voter’s role in impacting change and as a result undermines American democracy. Events in the documentary build up to the conclusion of the enactment of the Citizens Act in Montana which restricts corporate contributions in Montana state elections. The documentary relates to our course firstly through the theory of political economy, it showcases commodification of the media by the corporations. Secondly is through the topic of the internet as a political tool where the ease of internet access has given it a central role in dissemination of political information in the interest of political groups and corporations. Critic of the Documentary The documentary dark money does a good job of bringing the critical issue of dark money to the attention of the American citizen. It provides a gripping story and insightful commentary in a sober, linear fashion that is able to resonate not only with American citizens but all of its views at large. Its avoidance of sensationalism helps it avoid being labeled as conspiracymongering. It is able to spur up discussions on dark money in America and urgent action in campaign finance reform across the country. The weakness of documentary is that it maintains a singular focus on one state and one country and in doing so lessens the scope of its study and application. It fails to suggest reforms can be carried out in America’s other 49 states that can be applicable to the other state’s different demographics. Moreover it presents viewers with a barrage of information without any prior introduction that can help them understand how American politics works and how they can apply this information to their home state. A summary of terrorists' use of the media presentation The media has a huge role to play in terrorist organizations' approach and strategy. Terrorists are aware of the power that the media holds in influencing the public. Thus they continue to make use of media channels such social media and the internet to gain more supporters and create their own narrative. Journalists and media agencies should take care not to aid the terrorist’s agenda and narrative by sensationalizing terrorist acts on media channels. This calls for journalists to maintain objectivity, make use of careful language selection for impact and uphold victim privacy. They should also take care not to diverge revealing information that could potentially endanger civilians involved. 2