Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture (Book)

"The use of handheld cameras and lack of narration... is reminiscent of observational documentaries" The observational mode of documentary is arguably the most minimalist of the modes, portraying 'reality' in the most objective of forms. They have been known to have little or no scene arrangement, no music, no narration, etc. This statement, therefore, argues that even the most basic and rawest forms of reality, including documentaries, are mediated - there is an ideological perspective that a filmmaker is trying to convey, and by doing so they create or dramatise certain aspects that contribute towards "the real." 

Interestingly, the book brings into question the morality of mediation in documentaries and reality TV - "Scholarly discussions of documentaries have tended to turn on issues of ethics and representation and the responsibilities associated with truth telling." This is particularly significant as it addresses the point at which reality and fiction clash. The author points out that there is, indeed, a certain responsibility involved in documentary filmmaking as you are selling an idea to an audience that is portrayed as truth; it is to which extent the truth is legitimate that determines whether it would be morally sound to publish a documentary.

"Although reality TV whets our desire for the authentic, much of our engagement with such texts paradoxically hinges on our awareness that what we are watching is constructed and contains 'fictional elements.'" 

"Reality TV promises its audiences revelatory insight into the lives of others but withholds and subverts full access to it."

Desire to watch lives of others described as "primacy."

Address that, as with any mainstream media, documentaries operate under a supply and demand basis; the reason documentaries are mediated is to remove any potentially useless or redundant content, and to inevitably make it more interesting as a whole. Without this, sales would likely not reach the same heights - audiences demand sensationalised realism.