RealityTV shows thrive on conflict between the contestants. Theoretically, the conflict is more gripping because it's ''real'', with no scriptwriters, second takes, or most importantly, editors. Everything that happened really happened, just as it's shown.

Yeah, right. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you cheap. Great view of Brooklyn.

In point of fact, there are reality TV writers, there can be "OK, can you say that again, only this time, with more emotion," and there are ''certainly'' editors. While the specific ''events'' may be outside of the producers' direct control--but that varies depending on the show, and don't count out less direct influence--each episode of reality TV often compresses days into forty-four minutes...and ''how'' the events are compressed can change a scene, a contestant's attitude, and alter "reality" to the point that it's barely recognizable as such to those who were there.

Common forms of ManipulativeEditing include:

* Cherry-picking from the ConfessionCam. This one is almost too easy; only take the words wanted, without their context. Or, splice together sentences. A hint for catching this one: If the scene shifts mid-sentence, there's no guarantee that all the words came from the same ConfessionCam.
* For that matter, cherry-picking period. Imagine if your entire relationship with your best friend was to be summed up in ten minutes. Now imagine that the summation consisted of your combined worst ten minutes--your loudest arguments, your worst fights, your angriest moments ever. If someone who didn't know you or your friend saw only the summation, he might well conclude that you had once been friends, but were now mortal enemies.
* Cherry-picking is also called a "Frankenbite" -- different soundbites are stitched together to create a new whole.
* Pointed questions. Along with the ConfessionCam, there can occasionally be directed interviews, where the contestant is told to talk about X or Y. Here, the unseen interviewer may well provoke the contestant into giving better sound bites, and then cherry-pick only the worst bits.
* Temporal shenanigans. Two events which took place days or weeks apart are shown to have happened simultaneously, or the other way around, making anger seem buried which was actually dealt with sooner, or adding additional context. If person A says something about person B just as B walks into the room, it's not impossible that person A actually said it several hours earlier and B didn't hear it.
* Causal deletion. Sometimes, people do things for no reason. Sometimes, though, they have reasons...but if the reasons get left on the cutting-room floor, they look like they don't. This can make even the most justified anger seem petty and immature.
* Prompting. Yes, we hate to burst your bubble, but sometimes, contestants will simply be told, "say this."
* Worst side shooting. Reality TV can have a demanding schedule, and the days can be stressful to the point of exhausting. If it's a RealityTVShowMansion show, then the contestants are also in near-total isolation, with no phones, no laptops, no music players...they have nothing to interact with besides each other. Twenty-four hours a day. For weeks on end. Try it sometime--you and your best friend will be at each other's throats inside two weeks, we guarantee. Couple that with the other factors above, especially the cherry-picking...

Like pretty much anything on television, Charlie Brooker has referenced it in his show, and showed how easy all of the above can be done. The YouTube nerds have put the footage [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBwepkVurCI here]].

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!!Examples:

* [[{{Scifantasy}} This troper]] was a contestant on a reality TV show; he knows whereof he speaks. Lest you think he's bitter, he doesn't regret the experience at all, even the ManipulativeEditing. "Cameras are lenses," he says. "They can distort, blur, focus badly, or reflect, but they can't create." (Opticians, stay out of this. It's a metaphor.)
** To give a specific case, in one sequence he did something which appeared to be the result of profound arrogance, and several of the other contestants expressed opinions to the ConfessionCam to that effect. When this aired, he was profoundly embarrassed; he simply ''didn't realize'' how what he did had looked--it was ignorance, not arrogance, but the cameras had played it up differently. Before the inevitable reunion show, he told the producers that all he wanted was a chance to apologize for seeming so arrogant--even if there was ManipulativeEditing, there was a grain of truth there. He got his chance and the apology was (thankfully) accepted.
** Which reality show was this?
*** BeautyAndTheGeek. Guess which I was.
**Bill and Joe, ("Team Guido" of the first season of The Amazing Race) have repeatedly said the same thing: The camera does not create footage. If it's on the film, it's because you said or did it. The editing, however, can add, delete, or change the context.
* In ''DrawnTogether'', the Jew Producer is known to edit the show to make it even more outrageous, a practice to which Foxxy and Toot object. At one point, the practice is parodied when Foxxy's ConfessionCam segment is interrupted with rapid cuts after every single word to make it appear she says "My... taint... is... made... of... bacon!", just before she actually says that.
* Referenced in the BenElton novel ''Dead Famous'': to draw in ratings for her ''Big Brother'' - esque reality TV show, the producer creates a mock lesbian scene between two contestants (running an unrelated dialogue about finding head massage sensual over footage of one of the women washing the other's hair) and tries to make another contestant look unpopular by splicing together sound clips to have her say that she hates the other housemates.
** Also done in Ben Elton's later book, ''Chart Throb'', about a Pop Idol-style show. They call them Frankenbites.
*The BBC got into trouble when it broadcast a trailer which appeared to show the Queen storming out of a portrait sitting. [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6294472.stm Actually, she'd been walking in]]. This resulted in a high level resignation.
* TelevisionWithoutPity snarks on one particular Frankenbite in [[http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the_amazing_race_1/being_polite_sucks_sometimes.php?page=7 this recap]].
* CBS recently got caught cutting and pasting bits of an interview with US Presidential candidate John [=McCain=], so that the answer he appeared to give to one question was actually copied from another.
* This is used in ''[[AlexRider Skeleton Key]]'', where the President of Russia is asked about a baggage handlers' strike and gives the answer ''This is my holiday, I'm too busy to deal with that'' (he is very, very drunk at this point). The BigBad's plan is to cause a nuclear disaster and change the question to ''What are you going to do about the Murmansk incident?'.
* Mocked, like everything else in this archive, by ''TheSimpsons'' (even better with the clock in the background that noticeably changes back and forth with each cut):
--> '''Homer:''' (actual dialogue) "Ehh, someone had to take the babysitter home. Then I noticed she was sitting on the gummi Venus, so I grabbed it off her. Oh, just thinking about that sweet, sweet candy...[moans lustfully] I just wish I had another one right now. But the most important thing is --"
--> '''Homer:''' (edited dialogue) "Ehh, someone had to take the babysitter home. Then I noticed she was sitting on / her / sweet can / ...so I grabbed / her / sweet can / [moans] / just thinking about / her / can / I just wish I had / her / sweet / sweet / s-s-sweet can..."
** The editing fun didn't stop there, however:
---> '''Godfrey Jones:''' "So, Mr. Simpson: you admit you grabbed her can. What do you have to say in your defense? (shot of Homer during his interview, with obvious "paused VCR" artifacts) Mr. Simpson, your silence will only incriminate you further. (the shot of Homer zooms in to suggest his apparent advancement on Jones) No, Mr. Simpson, don't take your anger out on me. Get back! Get back! Mist -- Mr. Simpson -- [[BigNo nooo!]]"\\
'''Voice Over:''' "{{Dramatization}} -- [[MotorMouth may not have happened]]."
* Dr. {{House}} was a victim of benevolent editing when the documentary crew filming a patient he cured changed the context of his usual comments, turning them from the verbal abuse of [[DrJerk a man who belittles his staff, the patient, and the crew itself]] into a heartwarming portrayal of [[{{Wide-EyedIdealist}} a kind man who became a doctor "because of the movie Patch Adams"]].
-->'''Cuddy''' ''after watching the early copy, wiping away fake tears'': It's difficult not to be moved.
-->'''House''': Oh stop it. Suddenly I don't feel I can trust Michael Moore movies.
-->'''Cuddy''': Where are you going? Kittens to get out of trees, blind kids to read to?
-->'''House''': I owe it to the world to make sure this evil never sees the light of day.
* Used in the ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' episode "The Illusion Of Truth". The editing makes it look as if Sheridan is hiding plans to replace humans with aliens. (they ''were'' hiding things from the news crew, but it was something completely different)
* There is a particular species of FanVid which basically involves editing together scenes from a movie/TV show/game/whatever in order to make it look like a [[BrokebackMountain gay love story]]. A related strain involves editing wholesome family movies to look like terrifying horror flicks, or vice versa.
* A popular gag in YoutubePoop videos is to edit a character's dialogue so they end up saying something weird, dirty, or both. For example, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJD9EhdgPbc Robotnik's Face is Politically Incorrect]] changes Dr. Robotnik's line "I, Doctor Robotnik, am on the brink of my greatest success!" to "I'm on the brink of incest!"
** Robotnik's YoutubePoop catchphrase, "PINGAS!" ([[DontExplainTheJoke which sounds like "penis"]]) is also an example: it comes from the phrase "Snoo'''ping as''' usual, I see!" It was discovered by Stegblob and first used in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Foyd0wxwRZo "Robotnik Has a Viagra Overdose"]].
*** There's also its much less popular equivalent, "PINESS", from ''Sonic's Christmas Blast''. This one, in turn, comes from Robotnik's comment that "Hap-PINESS is always so much more enjoyable..."
** This is also part of the "THIS VIDEO WILL BE FLAGGED" fad, which involves editing a clip to make it sound like a character is doing or saying something dirty.
** Then there is the "I made this while doing X" meme, where a character's dialogue is used to form a song title followed by that song being played. The meme-maker was [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkQDjWxaHoM through_the_fire_and_flames.wmv]].
* The trope is referenced in ''Britain's Got The Pop Factor And Possibly A New Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice'' where the viewer is teased before the break with Geraldine giving an interview in a bad mood. In the actual interview, it turns out she was in a perfectly good mood and she was merely quoting that R Wayne was fed up with this trope.
* In ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'', Cryin' Bryan Dern tells Jimmy Barclay about the the application of this trope. Record someone when they don't know about it and broadcast it in such an order that it makes them look stupid. Jimmy uses this on Eugene, and then has the tables turned on him when Dern does it to him.
* The promos for ''HellsKitchen'' make liberal use of cherrypicking to add drama to the show. In season 4, one episode saw Matt accidentally cut the tip off his thumb during the challenge, and food critics showing up for dinner service; the promos made it look like the events were one and the same, implying that the severed portion of Matt's thumb ended up [[NauseaFuel on the critic's plate]].
** And again in season 5, where the womens' team slips while carrying a cow carcass into the kitchen and briefly panics when they see blood, learning to their relief that it just came from the meat. Guess which part wasn't shown in the promos?
*On Colombian soap opera, the things that happen at the promos for the next episode at the end almost never happen they way they make it seem they will.
**The same goes for the promos for ''TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager''.
* This trope is often used in Italian telefilms(and sometimes cartoons) commercials to make the characters talk with the voiceover.
* An in-universe example happens in the ''{{Leverage}}'' episode "The Juror #6 Job": Hardison splices together the question "Who finds in favor of the defendant?" with the jurors' reactions to the question "Who wants pizza for lunch?"
* Used in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfwNlJZ-_l4 this]] Jon Stewart Emmys bit. Stewart explains that he was asked to pretape his speech about Katrina so the censors could check it over. The speech has been obviously chopped up (and dubbed over, and [[RuleOfFunny fast-forwarded]]) and he ends up accusing officials of being "[[spoiler:in]]competent, [[spoiler:un]]acceptable and shockingly [[spoiler:in]]ept".
* ''RowanAndMartinsLaughIn'' did a skit a few times that ''pretended'' to be this. They'd interview some celebrity -- this troper recalls JohnWayne -- and then announce, "Now we'll show you what could be done by unscrupulous editing of this interview." The modified version had Wayne saying of critics, "They can kiss my Levis!"
* ProfessionalWrestling does it all the time, specifically to exclude people that have left the company...whether they're working elsewhere, left on bad terms, or...well, you know (Chris Benoit). A recent WWE example was in the videos used to hype Triple H vs. Randy Orton for Wrestlemania 25. In the part that made reference to HHH and Stephanie [=McMahon=] being married, they used wedding footage with Stephanie and a guy with long blond hair (presumably HHH, only seen from the back). However, that man was actually Andrew "Test" Martin and the footage was from their "wedding" on Raw in late 2000 that HHH interrupted. Surreal when you consider that Test died not too long ago.
**When CNN interviewed John Cena for their "Death Grip" documentary, CNN edited it to make it appear that Cena admitted to taking steroids. WWE cried foul over this, and aired the unedited version of Cena's interview.
* Weird Al's celebrity [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPwBdnknGIs interviews.]]
* A major plot point in the 1987 movie, ''TheRunningMan'', in which Ben Richards was made into a scapegoat for the Bakersfield Massacre (which the police actually committed).
* The Green Beret and Spetsnaz representatives of ''DeadliestWarrior'' reveal in the comments section of [[http://www.spike.com/video/aftermath-green/3171579 The Aftermath - Green Beret vs. Spetsnaz]] that some level of Manipulative Editing is done to make both parties seem more confrontational to each other. For example, a finger gesture directed at the director for joking about the Spetsnaz was edited so that it looked like the Spetsnaz was flipping off the Green Beret as they were walking in.
* 80-90% of the jokes in many episodes of SpaceGhostCoastToCoast come from the clumsy, often surreal manipulation of interview footage.
* Used on TwentyFour in Season Two, where during President Palmer's impeachment proceeding it is made to look like the President ordered the torture of an innocent man by erasing the portion of a tape where he confessed to helping the terror plot.
* In ''[[ScoobyDoo Scooby Doo 2]]'' the mystery gang is being hounded by a reporter who pulls this on them. The trope is even lampshaded as its played
-->'''Fred:'''[[spoiler: You're just trying to make it look like]] we think Coolsville sucks! [[spoiler: *look of shock* Don't take that out of context!]]
* ''TheFairlyOddparents'':
-->''(Vicky plays back tape)'' \\
'''Tape:''' ''(playing Timmy's voice)'' "Hi, I'm Timmy, and I--" ''(playing Francis's voice)'' "--cheated on my math test." \\
'''Timmy:''' "I never cheated on my math test!" \\
''(Vicky plays another tape)'' \\
'''Tape:''' ''(playing Timmy's voice)'' "Hi, I'm Timmy, and I--cheated on my math test!"
* Self-aware [[{{News Parody}} News Parodies]] admit to doing this from time to time. Because, well, [[{{Rule of Funny}} it's funny]] and that's their job. Other times, you have to give the contributors credit... they really are just that good at getting people to look silly and say things they don't realize will make them look bad.
--> '''Jon Stewart:''' ''You think by now, they would know what we do. Why does anyone still agree to come on [[{{DailyShow}} this show?!?!?]]''
* Another non-reality example: on JustShootMe, a couple of the characters splice up the bosses words to force another to do their bidding, with [[MadLibsDialogue very obvious pauses and changes in inflection]].
--> ''If you--value your--jobs... donut--mess up.''
* ''TheFastShow'' spin-off ''Swiss Toni'' had an episode where the titular character was invited to appear on a television show. His employees gave fairly positive responses when queried on whether he was a good boss; for example, one employee stated that he's usually good, but occasionally, 'he's a tosser'. Of course, the edited version simply said, 'he's a tosser'.
* Parodied on ''DeadRingers'' with a sketch based on the health show ''You Are What You Eat'' (the name is changed to ''You Are What We Edit''). After the subject describes his perfectly healthy lifestyle to the presenter, she declares, "That's not nearly unhealthy enough to give our viewers a smug sense of superiority!" and edits it.
*Contestants auditioning for ''American Idol'' don't go directly to the celebrity judge panel; they first sing for staffers who try to sort people into "maybe good enough to be on the show," "not good enough to be on the show," and "so terrible it will be funny". Former contestants have alleged that the producers spliced together footage of their initial screening by the staffers so as it make it appear that they were singing in front of Randi, Simon, and Paula. This apparently happens frequently if a contestant sings badly for the show's staffers and is put through to the judges as a "joke contestant", but then pulls it together an gives a significantly better performance before the judges. The producers simply edit things to make it appear that the "so bad it's funny" attempt was done before the judges, and the contestant's merely-mediocre performance before the judges is never seen by viewers at home. This seems to explain instances where contestants appeared to give horrible performances that should have elicited scathing comments from Simon, but were dismissed with a much milder "sorry, it's just not good enough" comment.
** The show facilitates this by encouraging the contestants to wear the same outfit to every audition. At least until Season 9, where the wording was changed to be a bit softer, but it was still stressed verbally... OrSoIHeard. If you want to catch some manipulative editing, look at what jewelry the contestant is wearing and how their hair is done when they talk to Seacrest outside, versus what they're wearing when they're singing. Because most kids will remember what dress/shirt they wore, but won't remember what jewelry they had on.
** There are also reports of the producers asking contestants to sing a different song that they aren't prepared for during the initial audition screening and recording the results, which invariably sounds terrible because the contestant hasn't practiced the song and/or doesn't even know all the words. The producers then edit this footage in with shots of the contestant walking in and out of the judging room so that they appear to have been badly botching the audition in front of the judges, when in fact during their actual appearance before the judges they sang a completely different song.
* [[TheXFactor X Factor]] finalist Rhydian Roberts was a victim of manipulative editing during the audition shows, thanks to the editors' attempts to make him the show's {{Pantomime}} villain. The live shows proved he was really a nice polite boy from Wales... and CrazyAwesome. Following a few performances like [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC61Bp_dq8U this]] CrowningMomentOfAwesome he went from being the outsider to the bookies' favourite.
*It's [[{{Understatement}} very popular]] to do this using the voce clips of the characters in TeamFortress2.

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