Letters | Sunday, 08 February 2009

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TV alienating the public

It is ideal to have a TV program where the participation of the public is given importance. This because there should always be different means of how the public knows of what is happening in society, therefore increasing interest in the diverse subjects that we have to tackle in our everyday lives. It is true that a program should have a wide schedule, since this makes the program more interesting. Naturally, the more subjects discussed, the more the program gathers popularity.
However, since we live in a democratic country, transparency should always be applied even in the media, especially in the most successful TV programs. This means that pressing problems should be discussed, so that the truth reaches a wide population.
Because of the global economic recession we can see certain facts that are growing more alarming with every passing day. We can mention the problem of water supply and electricity; a pressing problem that seemingly doesn’t have a suitable solution. The case of ST Microelectronics is also a pressing issue, where employees have deep worries of becoming unemployed in the near future.
This is why I am asking why the national TV station isn’t discussing these problematic realities, knowing that programs such as Bondi+ and Xarabank are amongst the most popular with the public. It is true that the subject on The Catholic Church and Homosexuality (Xarabank: 30 January) is an important one, since it deals with an issue of morality and society. However, this should be discussed after a program on the economic position of our country, which I believe should be given priority in the circumstances that we are in as a nation. The same could be said about Bondi+ where the subject of Life after Death (February 2) was discussed. It is true that such a subject is fascinating and may stimulate certain interest. Nevertheless, we should first and foremost give importance to the real problems in this world, rather than debating whether there are people who are able to talk to the dead or not.
This leads me to my final thought: as a citizen, I am afraid that such programs are being used in order to alienate the general public from giving importance to the pressing economic issue that we are facing. The public should know the truth and also should be given the chance of giving their opinion on programs that have a certain power in the national media.

R. Abdilla
Sliema

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