Shows like ‘Hear U Out’ are ‘immoral’ for exposing people’s private matters, says Singapore social worker

Singapore — The allegation that Mediacorp actress Chantalle Ng made about her father Huang Yiliang beating her up until she was hospitalised has been in the headlines recently. She made the revelation during Quan Yi Fong’s talk show, Hear U Out. 

Since then, Huang has also shared his side of the story and his reactions to what Ng said on the show via a Facebook live stream on Sept 26. What actually transpired was also talked about on Mediacorp Mandarin radio station Capital 958 hosted by radio DJs Linxuan and Qiqi.

Social worker Samuel Ng condemned programmes like Hear U Out as “immoral” during a live interview that was broadcasted on Capital 958’s Facebook page on Sept 29. He said that to increase viewership, the artiste’s private matters are revealed and subject it to public discussion. However, as a professional social worker, he wants to protect the individuals who are affected, as reported by Mothership.sg.

The social worker also asked about the aim of sensationalizing such private matters and whether remedies can be made for any pain caused for the family. Ng agreed with Linxuan when he said that the demand for such sensational topics encourage the production of such shows and it is a “vicious cycle.”

A netizen pointed out that a celebrity could decide not to answer queries that probe into their private lives. Ng responded to that, saying that sometimes celebrities are pressured to share when they appear on the show. In addition, he said that many are not aware of the repercussions of sharing their own personal matters.

Ng shared about two examples of cases he has seen in his job to support his stance of how such publicity can garner unwanted negative attention and comments.

The first example was about how a family who could not afford the medical bills of their son received a huge amount of donations after being spotlighted by the media. This leads to neighbours gossiping about their sudden windfall.

The second example is about a person who became a victim of neighbours’ gossip after he appeared on a television show following a suicide attempt. Due to immense pressure, he attempts to take his life again a couple of months later./TISG