‘Secret Millionaire’: What Message Will New Show Send About Charity?

Picture this: A millionaire goes undercover, posing as a minimum-wage worker to get a taste of what it’s like to be one of America’s working poor.

Along the way, the millionaire is so moved by the experience that he gives away some of his wealth to a person he meets on his journey.

Reality? Not really.

But it is the premise behind a new reality television series, The Secret Millionaire, which debuts Wednesday night on Fox.

The new series is the latest in a string of network offerings with a charitable bent — a trend that includes shows like Oprah’s Big Give, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice.

Some of the shows have been quite popular, offering feel-good stories while raising money for charity.

“The shows are praised by some scholars and charity officials for inspiring viewers to help the less fortunate and raising money for charitable causes,” wrote Chronicle reporter Ian Wilhelm in a recent story on the trend. “Extreme Makeover, for example, has donated part of the proceeds from the sale of its first-season DVD to Habitat for Humanity International, garnering about $50,000 for the Americus, Ga., nonprofit organization.”

But they have also been criticized as exploitative and as giving viewers a skewed vision of how charity really works.

For example, Joshua Horwitz, executive director of the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, in Washington, was highly critical of celebrity Oprah Winfrey‘s reality show in a recent Chronicle essay.

“Television offers a great opportunity to educate and to make people passionate about causes — especially when a philanthropist and television personality as popular as Oprah Winfrey is sponsoring the lessons,” Mr. Horwitz wrote.

“But the show ended up featuring amateur and embarrassing efforts at giving. It passed off as entertainment people wasting thousands of dollars of donated money and did little to help the American public learn what it really takes to change the lives of other people.”

Where will Secret Millionaire fall in this debate? Will it inspire more Americans to give? Or will it exploit those it sets out to help?