Paranormal television is a genre of popular television broadcasting. Its scope comprises purportedly factual investigations of paranormal phenomena, rather than the openly fictional representations found in such shows as The Ghosts of Motley Hall and Ghostbusters and cartoon/children's series such as Scooby Doo or Rentaghost.
Ethical and legal issues are raised by the depiction of purportedly paranormal events on a television programme, and many ...
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Paranormal television is a genre of popular television broadcasting. Its scope comprises purportedly factual investigations of paranormal phenomena, rather than the openly fictional representations found in such shows as The Ghosts of Motley Hall and Ghostbusters and cartoon/children's series such as Scooby Doo or Rentaghost.
Ethical and legal issues are raised by the depiction of purportedly paranormal events on a television programme, and many countries have legal or advisory Codes of Practice to guide production companies and broadcasters in this area. In 1992 the BBC faced a furore when its pseudo-documentary Ghostwatch caused viewers to panic; the transmission was linked to one suicide and two teenagers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Accounts of supernatural occurrences have always been common in the print media—the 1705 pamphlet "A True Relation of the Apparition of One Mrs Veal" by the journalist Daniel Defoe being a famous example—and local news programmes...
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