Media and cultural sociologist Prof. Jonathan Corpus Ong was invited by the School to deliver a public talk titled “The Ethics of ‘Overrepresentation’: Mediating Class in Filipino Television” on 26 March, 2012.
In this public talk based on his doctoral research following an ethical turn in media studies, Prof. Ong reflected on ethical questions that arose from the ‘overrepresentation’ of the poor in Filipino television. Whereas the term ‘overrepresentation’ has previously described the exploitation that occurs in the recruitment of working-class participants in Western reality television, overrepresentation in this particular context is received differently and debated along class lines. For one, this practice is justified by media producers as a form of ‘public service’ to the Filipino poor who lack access to welfare state provisions and government assistance. Given that two-thirds of the population is classified as ‘lower-class’, private television networks not only circulate narratives about their everyday conditions, they also provide social services (charity, legal advice, moneylending, free medicine, etc.) to people who visit their production centers. This talk critically discussed the concept of overrepresentation through a critical examination of local classed moralities of dignity and shame that underpin judgments about media charity, publicity, and agency.
Prof. Saskia Witteborn of the School (right at the back)
introduced Prof. Ong (left at the back) and his work.
Prof. Turner explained the ethical turn of media studies.
Prof. Ong answered questions from teachers and students enthusiastically.
3943 7680
2603 5007
com@cuhk.edu.hk
