Pakistani Cleric Gives Babies Away on TV
- 11 years ago
A popular cleric and talk show host in Pakistan recently gave a baby away to wanting, childless couple on his popular television program.
A popular cleric and talk show host in Pakistan recently gave a baby away to a childless couple on his popular television program.
The act was viewed by many as being little more than a ploy to draw more viewers during Ramadan, an important month for the region's television industry.
Regardless, the crowd cheered and the couple cried. The baby had a lot to be happy about as well, as she’d been abandoned on a garbage heap.
The segment proved to be so popular, another child was bestowed upon a family on a subsequent episode.
A local charity worked with the program to match the abandoned children with couples who were looking to adopt.
Spectacles are nothing new for Pakistani television, and especially for its talk and reality circuit.
Much like in American non-scripted entertainment, the show’s subjects are often featured in morally tenuous and emotionally fraught situations.
For some, though, the baby episodes just went too far. One critic said, “…giving away the baby stunt on television was the worst violation of media ethics I can think of.”
A popular cleric and talk show host in Pakistan recently gave a baby away to a childless couple on his popular television program.
The act was viewed by many as being little more than a ploy to draw more viewers during Ramadan, an important month for the region's television industry.
Regardless, the crowd cheered and the couple cried. The baby had a lot to be happy about as well, as she’d been abandoned on a garbage heap.
The segment proved to be so popular, another child was bestowed upon a family on a subsequent episode.
A local charity worked with the program to match the abandoned children with couples who were looking to adopt.
Spectacles are nothing new for Pakistani television, and especially for its talk and reality circuit.
Much like in American non-scripted entertainment, the show’s subjects are often featured in morally tenuous and emotionally fraught situations.
For some, though, the baby episodes just went too far. One critic said, “…giving away the baby stunt on television was the worst violation of media ethics I can think of.”