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Criticism Still Follows Dr. Phil

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By KEITH MORELLI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 16, 2008

TAMPA - From high-minded media analysts to a publicist for "The Jerry Springer Show," people are asking Dr. Phil: What were you thinking?

Phil McGraw's pop psychology TV show posted bail for a Polk County teen accused in the recent beating of another teen, which was videotaped for posting on the Internet.

The show backed away from its plan to have the girl appear on the air in return, saying the move violated its standards. She is one of eight defendants, 14 to 18, who face charges including kidnapping.

The about-face didn't make the questions about the March 30 incident in Lakeland go away, though.

It would have rated only a news brief except for the video, which was made public, said Roy Peter Clark, vice president and senior scholar at The Poynter Institute, a center for media studies in St. Petersburg.

"You are going to see more and more and more outrageous videos on television news provided by self-promoting people who want to see themselves as celebrities," Clark said.

National talk shows like "Dr. Phil" only fan the fire by booking these ephemeral celebrities, Clark said.

Even though talk shows like "Dr. Phil" are not journalism, he said, they should follow some standards. But where ratings rule, Clark said, standards often take a back seat.

"I've seen enough to know that what almost all of the television talk and entertainment shows are looking for is the big 'get,'" he said. "That's like a technical term in the business. If you can 'get' Britney Spears, for example, to come on your show to answer questions, well, there's a tremendous competition for those people."

Such struggles have a way of shoving ethics out the window, he said.

"I have no doubt that in spite of its declaration of standards, the 'Dr. Phil' team is as ruthless as the next group," Clark said

He finds paying for bail to "get" a criminal defendant troubling.

Even though the "Dr. Phil" show is not exactly journalism, "he's riding a pretty high horse there," Clark said. "He sort of wraps himself in an aura of respectability."

News video Saturday showed Mercades Nichols, 17, being escorted from the Polk County jail to a vehicle, accompanied by a "Dr. Phil" producer, who had just posted $30,000 bail for her.

"We have no comment," was all the unidentified producer would say. "We have no comment."

Later, in an e-mail to The Tampa Tribune, Louis DiCenzo, manager of communications for "Dr. Phil," wrote, "We have helped guests and potential guests in the past when they need financial assistance to come on the show.

"In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines re: the bail being paid. These staff members have been reprimanded and our policies reiterated. In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised."

DiCenzo has declined to comment since then, saying only, "The statement stands."

Talk shows are all different, said Linda Shafran, publicist for "The Jerry Springer Show" in Chicago. She said her show does not pay guests to be on the air, nor would it pay bail for someone.

"We do pay for transportation and accommodations," she said. The show also allows guests a meal or two on the show's dime while in Chicago. Guests get a limo ride from the hotel to the studio and back.

"And," Shafran said, "they get a good time in Chicago. But we never pay guests."

This is the second time this year in which ethics of the "Dr. Phil" show have been called into question.

In January, he planned a show on troubled entertainer Spears. Her parents had contacted McGraw to help their daughter, who had a breakdown during her child custody struggles.

He ended up visiting the singer and then backing out of the deal, amid criticism that he was exploiting Spears' emotional state.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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