[/floatl]Asahi: Ratings rise, and so does criticism, over supernatural TV programs
A TV show that aired in July last year was meant to be a lesson in counseling. But the experience left a bereaved family member angry and humiliated. The show was part of a 27-hour marathon program of Fuji Television Network featuring Hiroyuki Ehara (left), a self-proclaimed "spiritual counselor." Set up by program staff, an unsuspecting beauty parlor operator from northern Japan was shown receiving what Ehara claimed was a message from her dead father. The woman later protested to the Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization (BPO) committee, saying she had not consented to such "counseling" and that her financial situation had been exaggerated. In January, the BPO broadcasting ethics verification committee issued a stinging report, saying the the program "utilized" the woman to enhance Ehara's image and recommended the broadcaster exercise restraint "in handling material that lacks a scientific basis." But such concerns seem to have been long lost among TV stations. Broadcasters continue to use prime-time air space for celebrities claiming to be able to converse with the dead or to hold other supernatural powers. The general public's penchant for the macabre and the unknown has produced high viewer ratings for these shows. But some critics are raising concerns that these programs are lending credibility to phenomena that have no scientific ground...more...
