Reality Shows - Legal Responsibility vs. Ethical Behavior

[mcscajun]

Read the whole story and let's hear what you think.

When Reality TV Gets Too Real

On a recent episode of “Intervention,” A&E’s documentary series about addiction, no one was stopping Pam, an alcoholic, from driving.

As she made her way to the front door — stopping first at the refrigerator to take a swig of vodka for the road — viewers could hear a producer for the show speak up.

“You have had a lot to drink,” the voice from off camera said. “Do you want one of us to drive?”

Pam was indignant. “No, I can drive. I can drive,” she mumbled. She then got into her car, managed a three-point turn out of the parking lot and drove off. The camera crew followed, filming her as she tried to keep her turquoise Pontiac Sunfire between the lines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/business/media/08reality.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1191853729-j7cyCELANLj0UkFlRzchOg

There are still images from the show on the NYT's website accompanying this story, showing "Pam" swigging vodka from a bottle, and driving away toward home. Legal responsibility aside, I believe someone should have called the police to prevent possible injury and possible death of others, if not Pam. I'm particularly disturbed by the producer's own failure to act after reading this comment later in the article:

“Morally and ethically, none of us can feel good watching someone hurt themselves or hurt someone else. And I’m not going to stand by and have someone who is drunk get behind the wheel of a car and kill someone,” Mr. Mettler said.

He is the producer of the show in question, yet in this case, his "not standing by" was limited to the quote you see in the third paragraph and having a camera crew follow her in their vehicle. :banghead: In this case, fortunately, no one was killed; but how was Mettler to know this? I believe individual ethical responsibility trumps legal liability, and absolutely trumps "good television".

[redqueen]

1. Ethics?

Those aren't extinct?

[mcscajun]

2. I'm beginning to think so.

:(

[redqueen]

3. I thought it was a well-established fact.

Seems like the only conclusion to come to, once people started routinely dancing around legalities, rather than face up to whether or not something was ethical.