Under the overwhelming influence of popular culture, television broadcasting is undergoing a serious deterioration, inflicting profound damage on society’s moral values. Programs that could contribute to ethical development, personal maturity, and cultural refinement have nearly vanished from television screens. Instead, the focus has shifted to content that grabs fleeting attention but offers no real benefit to viewers—content that not only fails to inspire positive growth but also promotes immorality and, in some cases, even crime. Reality shows, gossip-driven programs, and certain TV series are the most glaring examples of this cultural decay. These programs are filled with content that erodes society’s moral fabric, undermines the family unit, and negatively impacts individuals’ spiritual well-being. They frequently expose private lives, weaken family bonds, accelerate moral decay, and harmfully influence children, all while reflecting a shallow and tasteless approach to media. Shaped by a crude, materialistic, and self-serving mindset far removed from Qur’anic morality, this culture drives much of society to focus solely on worldly pursuits, disregarding God and the reality of the Hereafter. This is a root cause of moral decline.
Daytime Talk Shows:
Corrupting Society Under the Guise of Entertainment
One of the most destructive examples of this decline is found in so-called “daytime talk shows.” These programs typically focus on finding missing persons, resolving family disputes, or addressing issues like marriage and divorce. However, their core consists of heated studio arguments, inappropriate behavior, and sensationalized romantic themes. Participants often reveal intimate details of their personal lives and family problems. While contributing nothing to moral or personal growth, these shows harm society in several ways:
Many participants appear to lack the educational or cultural background that might encourage restraint or discretion in such settings. To boost ratings, they are deliberately provoked with dramatic music and manipulative hosting, leading to tears, crude arguments, and even physical confrontations.
Events are often exaggerated or distorted for higher ratings, fostering false perceptions and judgments in society.
By exposing intimate aspects of their lives, participants—often unknowingly—undermine their own dignity and reputation.
More alarmingly, these programs promote selfishness, aggression, shamelessness, and uncivilized behavior rather than cultivating kindness, patience, forgiveness, and respect.
They also set harmful examples: repeated displays of violence, insults, and verbal abuse gradually become normalized for viewers.
Reports in the press, based on participant confessions, suggest that many shows script or direct what participants say. While this may seem like mere “ratings manipulation,” the possibility that these programs are deliberately designed to corrupt society cannot be dismissed. Such manipulation destabilizes family structures, pushes youth toward crime, and causes deep damage to public morality.
Finally, by creating the impression that justice is served in the studio, these shows mislead viewers about the legal system. Punishing criminals and protecting victims’ rights is the duty of the judiciary—not TV programs. Allowing shallow entertainment to replace judges, prosecutors, and police erodes public trust in justice.
Though these shows attract large audiences by catering to their target demographic’s educational level, they drag society further downward, paving the way for a crude, uncivilized, and coarse culture instead of fostering a refined and virtuous one.
The Destructive Impact of Competition Shows
Another group of programs harmful to moral and cultural values is physical competition shows.
In these, conflicts, insults, gossip, and intrigue among contestants are normalized—sometimes even encouraged. Popularized with local celebrities in many countries, these shows involve survival struggles under harsh conditions. While high ratings reflect public interest in competition and challenge, the content and messages are deeply harmful to social and moral life. For contestants, the grueling conditions—hunger, thirst, sleeplessness, and constant rivalry—often harm both physical and psychological health, particularly for women. Even though participation is voluntary, this does not justify putting human dignity and well-being at risk.
Socially, these programs cultivate selfishness, betrayal, gossip, and defamation as if they were acceptable—even admirable—traits. As competition intensifies, some contestants resort to violence and aggression, setting harmful examples for viewers. Later stages of these shows often involve unhygienic conditions, further degrading human dignity. Viewers are also negatively influenced: when betrayal, slander, and humiliation are repeatedly portrayed as “part of life,” people, especially the youth, begin to internalize these behaviors. Instead of promoting virtues like love, respect, conscience, and compassion, such shows spread selfishness, conflict, and even crime. These programs must be critically reevaluated, and harmful content must be subject to strict oversight.
Gossip and Scandal Shows:
Promoting a Culture of Public Shaming
Morning talk shows centered on sensational scandals and gossip are another format that accelerates moral erosion. In these programs, a few presenters discuss public scandals or personal matters, often making accusations without evidence.
One-sided commentary, driven by personal bias, frequently crosses into character assassination. Under the guise of “journalism,” these shows normalize a culture of public shaming, slander, and cruelty. Targeted individuals are humiliated without a chance to defend themselves, while their families are disregarded. 
This fosters a toxic atmosphere of hatred and baseless judgment. From an Islamic perspective, exposing private lives, gossiping, and searching for people’s faults undermine social harmony. The Qur’an warns:
“O you who have believed, avoid much suspicion. Indeed, some suspicion is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.” (Qur’an 49:12)
The Way to Rise Above the Moral Decay Caused by Media
In a society rooted in Qur’anic morality, people speak kindly, treat one another with love and respect, protect privacy, and uphold ethical values. Islam encourages brotherhood, compassion, and understanding while forbidding words or actions that hurt or humiliate others.
The media’s true mission should be to promote virtue, love, solidarity, family unity, and moral values—not to fuel moral collapse and social corruption. When Qur’anic morality is sincerely embraced, and appropriate legal regulations and media oversight are implemented, destructive content has no place on television.
The issue is not limited to a few negative programs—it is a systemic problem in television broadcasting as a whole. Because the damage develops gradually and its effects are not immediately visible, it is often ignored. Yet the Qur’an warns that abandoning morality leads to societal downfall:
“Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].” (Qur’an 30:41)
The moral collapse spreading through many societies today—often disguised as mere “ratings competition”—is the result of turning away from the morality God commands. The only true solution is for Qur’anic values to guide social life.
As the Qur’an teaches:
“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.” (Qur’an 49:10)
A society rooted in these values will be compassionate, respectful, and dignified. It is every person’s responsibility to avoid shallow and immoral programs and to raise awareness about them, spreading good character and spiritual values. True peace and happiness can only be achieved by seeking God’s approval and living by the beautiful morality He commands. Media must take responsibility for reminding people of brotherhood and solidarity, replacing content that promotes hatred and corruption with positive examples of virtue. Only then can families flourish, moral values be restored, and a lasting foundation for social peace be built.
