I am a firm believer that this tradition which has been followed also by Rough

I am a firm believer that this tradition, which has been followed also by Rough Justice and Trial and Error, provides a vital mechanism for investigation of the truth where no other presently exists. It has taken the best part of a decade to establish the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which was set up finally this January and is to begin its work on 31 March. The commission will provide no real improvement on the Home Office – it is not adequately resourced or staffed. There is therefore an imperative need for continuing journalism of the kind described.The next obvious example is the role of persons still living whose lives are touched upon or being portrayed. In the Name of the Father, Schindler’s list, Hostages, Dead Man Walking, JFK all ran into this dilemma. To what extent should we heed or incorporate their views or ultimately accord them the right of full veto?If it is a documentary, the responsibility must be to ensure that individuals and communities have their views accurately represented.

But when we move into the field of dramatised documentary, the balance shifts. There may be a greater good in ensuring that the essence of the story takes precedence even if feelings may be hurt in the process.Once one goes beyond this into a drama inspired by real events then the scales tip even farther away from the individual and community. They should never be ignored but it may be that the pursuit of an important dynamic or truth as perceived by the creator must determine the final product.An excellent current example of this is the critically acclaimed movie, Shine. But behind the universally warm critical reception has rumbled a background of bitter hostility from a sister, brother and biographer of David Helfgott, the pianist. They have suggested that there are entirely fictitious scenes showing David’s father as an unfeeling, brutal man who drove him insane. The Observer’s film critic, Philip French, in the same breath as extolling the virtues of the film (“hard to find a better one in 1997″) went on to to say: “It is not the first time and won’t be the last that a true story is twisted to make a film more watchable.”In an overall sense, he is right because this is not a documentary, let alone a dramatised documentary.

But if he means that the film-maker is merely making something watchable without intending to portray a truth about the relationships surrounding the pianist, then the objective has been lost at this point. So has accountability and responsibility.The writer is a barrister.. On Feedback yesterday, Chris Dunkley was fielding complaints that Radio 4 has been infiltrated by Americans, as if the slow Americanisation of Britain was anything new or surprising. All they were complaining about were little Americanisms of language.