Faux-logram

A CNN Hologram

One of the things I found quite remarkable about CNN’s coverage of the US elections was the amount of technology they were able to use. Not only did they have a much better touch screen computer display than ABC, but they also had holograms.

Or so they led us believe.

In fact, as it turns out, the holograms were false; existing only on the screens of the viewing audience. In the studio, anchors Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper were talking to a red spot on the floor. And they did it convincingly, emphasizing how “good” their interview subjects looked.

So what is the ethical issue here. Technically, the images weren’t holograms so CNN should never have called them that. However, staged or not, the effect was remarkable and had never been done before. Is this any different from weather presenters talking to a green screen? I for one was quite disappointed to see this from CNN because I thought that this would be a useful technology not only for television, but also as one cabable of completely restructuring the telecommunications industry.

Thoughts?

~ by ThreeDice on November 7, 2008.