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(not satire!)
The makers of Benefits Street – Love Productions – have possibly put the participants of the programme in danger after a deluge of death threats were made against them:
Threats of death and violence after Channel 4 programme Benefits Street
But the producers of the Channel 4 programme have been accused of putting people’s health at risk for the sake of reality TV before – including young children and babies.
In 2007, the same producers were accused of putting babies at risk during the making of a controversial programme called The Baby Borrowers.
At the time, Dr Michele Elliott, of child protection charity Kidscape, described the show as ‘sick’:
BBC ‘puts children at risk’ for reality TV show
And in 2009, the same producers were accused of “deliberate torment by adults of children in obvious distress” in their controversial reality TV programme Boys and Girls Alone:
TV show is likened to Plymouth mum’s video nasty
Is it only me wondering when someone is going to put a stop to sick people like this making money from tormenting innocent people for the sake of so-called entertainment?
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Please feel free to comment.
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Pride's Purge 
I’m wondering too!
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Presumably the people appearing in “Benefits Street” were paid some sort of fee by “Love Productions”. If that was the case then it should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that the ice-creams, cans of lager and cigarettes that pass for luxuries among quaint poor people were not bought from their benefits, but from documentary fees paid to them by Love Productions to compensate them for being deprived of all dignity and having their views and lives misrepresented.
If the people in the documentary were NOT being paid then Love Productions should be prosecuted forthwith for failing to pay the minimum wage.
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well not Chanel 4 obviously.
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The lengths people go to in the name of capitalism
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Television has just become a series of Freak shows – look at (or rather DON’T) Big Brother and all its Clones.
It is only a matter of time before live sex is shown-after all, the owner of Channel 5 is Richard Desmond,proprietor of the Express and a number of Porn Channels
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My own version of ‘Benefits Street’:
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It’s all Tory propoganda in an attempt to prove that there aren’t millions, starving or freezing to death due to their welfare cuts
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Reblogged this on Vox Political.
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Hang your heads in shame channel 4. Why do you not air the truth for once instead of supporting the evil government in their lies and propaganda. I find it truly disgusting that any human being can commit such acts of abuse towards others. This is very worrying, what kind of world are we turning into. I originally thought this program was about the truth about people on Benefits until i watched it last night.
We are certainly very christian and caring these days
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Reblogged this on Social Action.
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This is why I do not have a TV why should people pay £150 a year to see what programs like benefit street and stants and scroungers (BBC). I would say most people these days are on some sort of benefits working or not if there in a low paid job it will be housing benefits Tax credits and so on. why do the makers of these programs never go after the people that started this problem the BANKERS AND MP’S MP’s get benefits in the form of expenses and subsidized restaurants & bar’s in the house of commons.
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I remember the scandal surrounding ‘Boys and Girls Alone’. It had to be stopped because of the very severe bullying among the boys. The impression I had about it from reading the report in the Mirror was that it had turned into something very much like ‘Lord of the Flies’, but without William Golding’s literary skill. Colin M. Taylor is right – TV is now a load of freak shows, and there have been more than enough of them demonising the unemployed.
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I think its disgusting how people on benefits are being treated these days . They make these programmes and have you believe that benefit claiments have a comfortable life . Its all lies they dont show the real struggles these people face and the goverment are punishing them making them out to be second class citizans who dont deserve to be treated fairly . Ive been on benefits and I can tell you now its not a life people willing choose . The goverment and producers of such programmes are getting away with inciting hatred towards a certain group of people . I thought that was a crime ?????
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Reblogged this on seachranaidhe1.
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Reblogged this on The Greater Fool.
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I foolishly thought that Channel 4 would pull the repeat of this tonight, in shame after the responses. Silly me. It’s still on and will probably get an even bigger audience after all the free advertising Twitter has given it. Like Leoni Al-ajeel, I originally thought, from the description of the programme, that this was finally going to show the public the truth behind the government propaganda.
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I have not seen the show – so I can’t express an opinion about the content but lets get things into perspective here. Let’s not forget that despicable tweets and messages published by angry, inadequate, cowardly bullies who threaten violence against others under the anonymity of twitter.
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They are not only inciting hatred, they are acting hatefully themselves and wanting others to follow their lead.
The whole of welfare reform is a hate crime against the poorest in society.
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Hi I recently email ch4 regarding Benefit streets, I pointed out the twitter feeds mentioned in hope of a reply from them and I also ask when making the said program did they ever investigate the true impact of austerity on the ill , disabled, unemployed and low income people on benefits. Here is ch4 reply
Dear Mr ***********
Thank you for contacting Channel 4 Viewer Enquiries regarding BENEFITS STREET.
This is an observational documentary series following the lives of those living in a particular area of Birmingham, where the majority of households receive benefits. The premise of the series is to offer an insight into their lives.
We believe the films show how people in diminished circumstances cope with the current climate of austerity and cuts in benefits and how the residents? community spirit comes to the fore in times of need. We believe the programme and series is a fair and balanced portrayal of life on James Turner Street for those contributors featured. The series is not, was never intended to be and indeed could not be a general representation of the vast numbers of people in the UK who, for whatever reason, find themselves having to rely on benefits.
We appreciate you taking the time to write to us with your comments which have been logged for the information of those responsible for the programme.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate all feedback from our viewers; complimentary or otherwise.
Regards,
D*** G***
Channel 4 Viewer Enquiries
I have deleted the the name and mine but there is no response about how threats upon the people shown in there program via twitter CH4 have you some thing to hide :-). I hope you enjoyed the read and I posted not to offend but to highlight ch4 actions or lack of actions.
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Had a reply from Channel 4 regarding my complaint about this awful programme see below:
Dear Jane,
Thank you for contacting Channel 4 Viewer Enquiries regarding BENEFITS STREET.
This is an observational documentary series following the lives of those living in a particular area of Birmingham, where the majority of households receive benefits. The premise of the series is to offer an insight into their lives. We believe the films show how people in diminished circumstances cope with the current climate of austerity and cuts in benefits and how the residents? community spirit comes to the fore in times of need.
We believe the programme and series is a fair and balanced portrayal of life on James Turner St for those contributors featured. The series is not, was never intended to be and indeed could not be a general representation of the vast numbers of people in the UK who, for whatever reason, find themselves, for all sorts of reasons, having to rely on benefits.
We appreciate you taking the time to write to us with your comments which have been logged for the information of those responsible for the programme.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate all feedback from our viewers; complimentary or otherwise.
Regards,
Dylan Redmond
Channel 4 Viewer Enquiries
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I am sick of this kind of programme put on as entertainment the programme potrayed the people on the street as never having a can out of their hand smoking constantly shoplifting etc in other words people the average person would be totally unsympathetic to.I am sure the average person on benefits would hate anyone to think they were like that my husband and i are both on old age pension and we dont have a lot of money but i couldnt let anyone film me like that i thought it was disgusting
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Looking at the posts from Mark and jane Murphy, Channel 4 have obviously got a government-style copy/paste answer to everyone who objects to the trash they put out. And this was originally supposed to be a partially public-service channel too. Mind you, the BBC have lost the plot on that definition as well.
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Bit in The Birmingham Mail from one of them – saying that they were approached at a Jobseeker Event …a funny idea of a job ? …going on a Poverty Porn Freak Show …….scripted and contrived ” Reality TV ” ….pseudo documentary to get the Sun , Mail and Express reading knuckle draggers & saloon bar bores …frothing at the mouth …ready to hit the streets with their white sheets , torches and pitchforks
Then there’s a selective edit showing one to be ” work shy ” for a lack of interest in a massage parlour job …or in reality prostitution in a brothel …where was that vacancy advertised ? …JCP ? …or was it ” recommended ” by a controversial poverty pimp firm like A4E or Seetec ? ( * Only joking M’lud )
They would have to ” pay people in kind ” …Liz Bardsley was prosecuted for benefit fraud for not declaring earnings on a Trash TV show …some time back .
Just a bit odd that C4 denies that there is a Tory agenda …but two of Love Productions executives * allegedly have links to the Conservative Party and there’s been something * apparently published on the www. about it all being planned …Gideon Osborne makes a speech in Birmingham then there’s the mass media coverage of his welfare cuts …” Tough Choices ” speech . What a ” coincidence ” eh ? .
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/benefits-street-channel-4-documentary-2994242 sorry the link !
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not surprised really, saw it and thought it was disgraceful to show a small section on benefit, it did not show how most people cope on benefit, and sadly I know as I`m benefit and it is very very hard to deal with.
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Let us press Chanel 4 to let us know of the cash benefits being given to the wealthy by our government, via their businesses and many with foreign owners and their governments, to support the previously nationalised industries they now own. We should then press Chanel 4 to put the argument for giving such benefits and the profits the privatised companies make to the community by taking these back into public ownership. EGD Broadstairs
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well said guy fawkes, there are real people commiting suicide due to the “BOYISH PRANKS ” of the government. my own son , disabled through no fault of his own had a friend who did just that because of the insensitive attitude of this waspish government.
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“Chanel 4” – is that a new scent? Qu’est-que c’est? ; D…
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No, they will not have been paid a fee to be filmed. Using money to induce people to participate in documentaries is highly unethical – for all the reasons you mention and is against both BBC and C4 rules. Being the subject of filming isn’t a job, you are essentially allowing a crew to capture/document your life. There is a huge amount of trust involved in this – and I agree that it seems this trust was misused by the production company.
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