Boosting ratings by courting controversy is an obvious tactic, but the public may react negatively to extreme cases of tastelessness.

A man who evidently has mental difficulties triggered controversy recently after competing on a popular reality-TV talent show and was ridiculed. This is not new on television, and it’s not the first time content-producer Workpoint Entertainment has been in hot water. Last year an artist used her breasts instead of brushes on the same franchised program, “Thailand’s Got Talent.” The strategy of deliberately fomenting controversy is nothing new either, especially since it’s proven effective in garnering viewers’ attention.

Last year the breast-painting scandal made headlines globally: “Thailand’s Got Boobs” was one sensational quip. Investigations determined that the segment was staged ― the “painter” was a performer hand-picked for the stunt ― but viewers seemed to care little that they’d been lied to. After gaining massive publicity, the show carried on as usual. Season 3 has just started with another loud bang, and a perhaps even more sensitive issue.

Contestant Sitthata Emerald clearly looked like an oddball from the beginning. He addressed the judges strangely and refused to wai or end his sentences with the usual polite “khrap.” Challenged on this, he declared that morality is more important than etiquette. As it turned out, the man could barely sing. Two judges walked offstage, leaving the third to sit and listen. The audience ridiculed the man mercilessly. Among the questions immediately raised on the social media was whether the man was autistic ― or perhaps another patsy set up by the show just to raise a fuss.

Boosting ratings via controversy confirms that morality and ethics mean little in an age when TV producers face cutthroat competition. Child and family advocates have called on the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to look into the ethics of the show’s producer. They condemn Workpoint Entertainment for “failing to respect human dignity.”

The company issued a statement claiming Emerald is not a special-needs person and went through the usual audition. Few people were convinced. Chulalongkorn University lecturer Pirongrong Ramasoota, mother of an autistic child, said she could spot the signs of the condition immediately: the lack of eye contact, speaking in a monotone, lack of social skills, blunt talk and self-absorption ― all indicative of autism. She is among those who trust their own eyes rather than the company’s assurances.

The public is also suspicious about how a man who couldn’t communicate well, let alone sing, could pass the audition in the first place. Even Emerald’s mother voiced surprise that he made it onto the show despite a “mental disability” (about which she didn’t elaborate).

The real issue here is the producer’s ethics in allowing a contestant to be ridiculed on the show by the judges and studio audience. Workpoint’s wilful disdain of personal feelings and dignity in the interest of commercial gain would appear to be just the tip of the iceberg in the fierce competition for ratings. Controversy sells, and it the social media serves to amplify it. The more criticism, the more attention the show receives.

The NBTC is examining the matter, but promises no early decision on a complicated case. The agency is overloaded with work, especially with the upcoming bidding for digital TV concessions. And Commissioner Supinya Klangnarong has cautioned that proportionate means are needed and all aspects must be weighed. If Workpoint is deemed negligent and a penalty is to be levied, it could be a monetary fine or an adjustment of the program’s rating. In the meantime Workpoint has received a strong sanction from the public, with consumers complaining online both individually and via interest groups.

Regardless, the “ratings first, morality later” attitude is likely to remain in the TV industry, and sadly it could get worse with the arrival of more digital channels in an already-crowded sector.

The NBTC has a tough task ahead overseeing a boom in TV content. It’s to be hoped that consumers and interest groups will exercize real power of their own and play a major role in eradicating bad practice. First and foremost, viewers need to stop watching unethical programs, thus denying them the publicity they crave.

(The Nation)

(Asia News Network)