Pro Article #1

Media audiences and the game of controversy On reality TV, moral panic and controversial media stories by Daniel Biltereyst

Journal of Media Practice Volume 5 Number 1 2004 Intellect Ltd

This article focuses on the moral panic that surrounded reality television in the early 2000s. it firstly covers the basis of what reality TV shows were causing the controversy and why. Shows like big brother were frowned upon because they were seen as defiling the face of television and showing bad morals in the western world. However it is important to note that other reality shows like crime reality shows were looked at as a way of scaring people out of doing illegal things. With reality TV shows such as big brother the media were being accused of corrupting what are to be good or solid morals. However it is argued that the media who produce these programs are acting a kind of moral compass in a way that they are showing human relations to the world that may not get to see the differences in people. The article continues to discuss the reason for the moral panic and how it is just another section of a continuing time line of smaller panics. Finally there is a discussion on the difference between media and moral panics and how they are more often than not confused or viewed as the same thing. From this we can gather that the root of the moral panic was in the media itself and was the reaction of the people who were fighting for moral standards.

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