There is an important reason and need to offer an explanation of the history and evolution of the concept of documentary filmmaking.
To this end it is necessary to look at many other issues that deal with the telling or reporting of nonfiction realities via the many methods of conveying such realities in books, magazines, newspapers, television and the internet. These issues have to do with the expectations of the public and ourselves as to how information is reported and disseminated in our culture, how it’s perceived and how subjectively the information is presented .
All of this to help us decide how a documentary filmmaker or non-fiction story teller may approach his or her story telling, both technically and ethically, of subjects both mundane and controversial, with some hope of realizing some measure of objective reality.
An excellent book that looks at the history documentary is “The History of Non-fiction Film” by Erik Barnouw. 2nd Edition.