The problem with hanging out dirty laundry

The New Old Uncle first went to air in 2012, a makeover of a program called Old Uncle that appeared four years earlier. In Shanghai and surrounding areas the term "old uncle" refers to someone who is adept at handling all kinds of issues in a big family.

True to its name, the program has helped many settle disputes, be they within families or between neighbors and friends. It has attracted millions of viewers, most apparently in their late 50s and older. As one of the main presenters, Bai had been the face of the Entertainment Channel in Shanghai almost every night at 6:30 pm. With her sharp tongue and quick wit, this woman in her late 60s acted like a judge on the screen. She was also regarded as a voice for older people but not for the young.

"The program was misleading and sometimes risked ruining relationships between parents and children," one internet user says. "In the eyes of Auntie Bai we are all bad children with an eye on nothing but our parents' properties. There are cheats at all levels of society."

In the program Bai often advised that older people should take good care of their wealth, insinuating that their children were not to be trusted.

"This kind of program that offers mediation is misleading," says Xu Jin, in her early 40s, who works for an accounting firm in Shanghai.

"The program did not equip my mother-in-law with the kind of legal knowledge that the program claimed to give out. In fact since watching the program she has become downright cynical and a lot worse."

In fact many of those who have criticized the show have argued that its producers were more interested in generating high ratings than in being a pro bono dispenser of legal advice.

And if there was any interest in ensuring that justice took its full course there was scant evidence of that in the offending episode, in which the producers managed to track down the alleged rapists and simply asked that they pay money toward the three children's upkeep rather than treating the issue as a serious criminal matter.

This kind of television show, in which a cast consisting of a presenter, a lawyer, a psychologist and a few members of the public who act like a jury, has popped up all over China. In fact it is hard to fathom out why anyone of a sound mind would want to have their private matters aired so publicly, and in front of millions of strangers.

Most of the participants seem to be what you might call underprivileged, and the reason may be that it is these very people who cannot afford to obtain professional help. In fact Bai has essentially said that in this regard her show has performed an invaluable public service.

Well and good, but someone has to draw the line somewhere regarding the nature of these programs, and on this occasion I tend to think it is the Shanghai authorities that have performed an invaluable public service.