TV Shows About Charity Are Growing More Popular

Two reality shows in the United Kingdom focused on charity have been garnering solid ratings and raising hopes for the success of similar shows in the United States, reports The Wall Street Journal.

One show, Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway, allows contestants a minute to persuade wealthy philanthropists to give them money. The second show, entitled The Secret Millionaire,“ asks self-made millionaires to go undercover and spend 10 days in impoverished locales searching for needy recipients. After picking the winners, the millionaires disclose their identity.

Versions of those shows may come to the United States, and other efforts are under way to produce charity-themed shows.

An opinion article that also appears in The Wall Street Journal argues that reality shows about charity won’t motivate many people to work for good causes.

Rob Long, a television producer, says that shows such as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and “Nascar Angels” only reinforce product placement, not charitable impulses. He writes, “All these shows, in fact, reinforce another bedrock truth, which we’re all supposed to deny but we all secretly acknowledge: Money and objects really can make you happier.”

For more about charity TV shows, read The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

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