The Struggle Against Stereotypes

Who is the 'Other'? Preconceptions: 

Before this station began its reporting, images on both sides twisted what defines the enemy. These were ultimately exaggerations of the truth. For instance, Americans imagined the Soviet Union as “processions of tanks and rockets rolling through Red Square [Moscow] on a gray October day, long lines of peasants queuing up to buy meager rations of food, and Siberian labor camps where dissidents lift bricks at gunpoint.”[7]

On the other hand, the United States was stereotyped to encompass “factories cranking out endless supplies of missiles and warheads, streets overflowing with drugs and pornography, and prisons crowded with oppressed blacks and Indians.”[7]

Below are examples of propaganda that exhibit similar negative ideas about the enemy. 

Solution to Ignorance: 

KING 5 was able to overcome such ignorance as it encouraged the ideas of international education and curiosity. Ultimately, it sought to give both US and USSR viewers accurate information about each other. 

The objectives of the 1986 film titled Face-to-Face, a co-produced documentary with Soviet television, serves as an example. It brought about inquiry such as “how they lived, what they did for fun, what the circumstances of their work were.”[8] Hence, although the film dealt with “mundane details of daily life” rather than political issues, it still stimulated the public to relate to one another.[8]