Justifying Trash: Regulating Reality TV in Israel

Reality TV is a highly popular but much criticized television genre. However, little has been written about the attitude of state broadcasting authorities toward this genre and the degree to which it is regulated and controlled in different countries. In this article, we focus on the Second Authority for Television and Radio, the public body that oversees commercial broadcasting in Israel, and look at how it controls the volume and content of reality TV programs while considering factors that are unique to Israeli economics and politics. The findings of this article indicate that in Israel, reality television is legitimized de facto despite perception of its moral shortcomings