|
Deborah Capone, who led the campaign, has asked for a meeting with
Fox and for the show to be axed. She is urging Fox affiliate networks
not to take the programme.
Before the controversy erupted Fox's head of reality, Mike Darnell
had praised the programme in the publication Variety. "It's
the most emotional show we've ever put on the air. I guarantee you,
if you have any heart, you'll be bawling at the end of the show,
When a contestant ends up eliminating her real father she feels
terrible".
In a strongly worded letter to Fox president Peter Chernin, Families
With Children From China president David Youtz said, "This
is a new low for the Fox network. It is hard to imagine a more callous
kind of exploitation than the treatment of this most private moment
as a crude entertainment. The circuslike atmosphere of televised
reunions can only be painful for the many adopted persons searching
or considering searching for birth parents."
Fox executives in Los Angeles this week issued a statement saying,
"It is not the producers' or network's intention to offend
anyone, but clearly the title of this special is attention-grabbing
-- possibly contributing to controversy. It is not indicative, however,
of the special's actual content. The willing and informed participants
are some of the tens of millions of adopted Americans unable to
reunite with their biological parent. They seized the opportunity
to participate, and the result is compelling.
"It is also important to note that this special, in no way,
detracts from the relationship between adoptive parents and their
children. In fact, most participants clearly state that they consider
their adoptive parents to be their 'real parents,' but they are
curious about their family of origin."
Also read
Fox integrates reality
with 'Daddy searching'
|
