But though she was the first journalist whose fairly innocent lack of responsibility started the domino effect of Marla's story in the media, Elizabeth Cohen was far from the worst transgressor in this area. The segment Bar-Lev shows of the television newsmagazine 60 Minutes' coverage of Marla's painting was even more inflammatory, and just as shoddily researched. The story quite blatantly suggest that Marla's parents might be fraudulently representing their daughter's talents, but there is no real evidence of this. They show a child psychologist -- not an art expert, it should be noted -- who is initially impressed with the quality of the paintings attributed to Marla, but is surprised to see on a video of Marla painting that she paints like any child her age. It is after this that the child psychologist begins to possibly detect a difference in the quality of the paintings attributed to Marla and the one she was videotaped painting.
A comparison of one painting to a body of work by a non-expert is certainly not conclusive evidence of authenticity either way, but this is the evidence presented by Sixty Minutes. Suggesting that anyone might be behaving fraudulently is a story that requires a great deal more evidence than suggesting someone might be a genius, but 60 Minutes made exactly the same mistake as Elizabeth Cohen in running with a story before truly verifying the facts presented...
This story was instrumental in creating the national debate over Marla's worth as a painter and the authenticity of her attributed works, and given the long-standing prominence and wide audience the program, the journalists and producers at 60 Minutes should have known better than to have gone with this story. Even presented as a possibility rather than as complete fact, which it was, raising the suggestion without any real evidence is simply irresponsible journalism.
The turn that the documentary takes at this point is indicative of the effect that media spin can have on a story. This is what makes journalism the central feature of My Kid Could Paint That -- the various media reactions to Marla's story, rather than her story itself, is what dictates the camera's and the director's perspective. Journalists, especially those working on network news shows with viewers around the world such as 60 Minutes, should be well aware of the effect they can have on public perception, and they need to act accordingly. Bar-Lev's documentary makes this fact abundantly clear, but in the specific instance with which the film purports to be concerned -- that is, Marla -- it actually exacerbates the problem. This film raises all of the unfounded opinions that exist around Marla and her possible talent without providing any additional clarity -- it is pure exploitation of a scandal, and more irresponsibility.
