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A Duty of Care 对参赛选手的关心的义务

Susan Boyle is the latest member of the British public to be catapulted into the limelight on the back of a reality TV show. And it is her unstable and emotional state after the TV show’s finale which has sparked a national debate on just how well these manufactured stars are looked after.

It is true that many of these budding stars are extroverts but there is growing concern over the shy, the introverted and the young. Producers of TV shows such as Big Brother, X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are facing a barrage of questions about just how well they exercise their duty of care.

So what could this mean for the future? Will contestants be offered media training and psychologists to help them deal with the trappings of fame? And for how long should producers hold contestants’ hands?

There have been reports in the media that these shows might make the application process a little more rigorous, weeding out any problem contestants from the start. Linda Papadopoulos, who has worked as a psychiatrist on Big Brother, does not appear to think this is necessary. She says:

"I don't think certain people shouldn't be allowed to take part in these shows, but different people need different kinds of support - there can't be the same cookie cutter treatment."

Where the success of these shows lies on easy to roll out formats, it will be interesting to see if producers are able to offer such a bespoke level of support.

The debate rages on and it has cast a shadow not only over TV producers but also over the British news media. One well-known TV critic noted that: "the British news media probably have as much responsibility for pressure on the contestants as the show itself."

Even given her current situation, it is unlikely the media will back away from Susan Boyle. For the moment though, she is being cared for in a top London clinic and receiving support and warm wishes from her millions of fans.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

catapulted 照射

limelight 聚光灯

reality TV show 电视真人秀

unstable and emotional state 不稳定和情绪化状态

national debate 全国民众争论

manufactured stars 制作的明星

extroverts 性格外向的人

introverted 性格内向的人

a barrage 接二连三的

duty of care 关心（他人）的义务

media training （面对）媒体培训

psychologists 心理学家

trappings of fame 用来形容名声对一个人的负面影响

rigorous 严格的

weeding out 淘汰

cookie cutter treatment 一刀切

roll out 排除

bespoke 定做的

rages on （非正式用语）火爆进行中

cast a shadow 笼罩一层阴影