Remember last year when Britney Spears was doing drug rehabilitation or alcohol rehab or whatever it was, and TV’s famous Dr. Phil went to visit her? Then got himself in a ton of hot water for talking about it on television?
Some folks just don’t seem to “get it,” do they? How he stays on TV and remains so popular is beyond me. He seems a likable enough guy, and he projects a real “no nonsense, get tough” image with people who are messed up. I guess the audiences like that.
This time one of his producers showed up and posted bail for one of those teen girls accused of videotaping the beating of another teen over something she said about one or more of them in her “MySpace” pages. What a mess that is in itself, and now Dr. Phil’s gotten himself another PR black eye. He had to apologize quickly for his producer’s actions, explaining it was not his policy or the policy of the show to bail people out of jail to gain exclusive interviews with them.
Seems to me the moral of this whole story should be this: Dr. Phil may be a nice guy with good intentions, and he may even help some people with their problems — but never forget that he’s on television first and foremost to make money entertaining viewers. Advertisers don’t sponsor his show because they think he’s a wonderful “Good Samaritan.” They sponsor his show because they know he draws viewers to their commercials.
It’s when we let our minds blur the line between reality and entertainment that we get ourselves into trouble. Same holds true for Dr. Phil or any other television personality.
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