To:HPO Office, YVB and Whomever Concerned
From:********
Date:July 25, 2006
Re:Comments on a Fuji TV Program titled:
Find it yourself – The world hardest adventure quiz, “What can you buy with stone money in Yap?”
__________________________________________________
The attached is a copy of the Japanese TV program on DVD, which was on-aired on May 9, 2006, with its translation. Even though the copy covers only the latter half of the 20 minutes in which Yap was featured, you can clearly see that the program did not present Yap properly.
To make a commercial TV program, you must find sponsors whose only concern is viewer ratings. On the other hand, many viewers in Japan became very selective because there are so many TV channels and programs and, they find, many of them are just lousy. Those who have higher educational background and carriers, and those who have alternative media access such as the internet, tend to be the most selective viewers. However, this group of people is most likely to be future visitors of Yap.
If you live in Japan and understand the language, you will not have any difficulty in finding “how the program would be” based on the information of; name of TV station, on-air time, title of the program and who is appearing in it. All the TV programs are classified into some categories; documentaries, news, game shows and fictions. If a program is classified as a game show, many viewers will not take it seriously. But sponsors and producers of game shows target the viewers categorized (in their word) B-class, i.e. “retired seniors, house wives and youth with low IQ who watch TV all day long”. This group of people is hardly to make plan to visit destinations like Yap. They just look at the “funny” outfit in the TV and laugh.
Unfortunately, the program on this DVD was one of the game shows that targeted viewers like the above. The director of the program first contacted me through an agent in Japan. After reviewing the proposal, I decided not to help them because I could sense the kind of program it would be. Then I orally informed the office of HPO, submitting to them their proposal in Japanese language with the fear that they could make their way through with another Japanese source on Yap. And that’s what happened.
My understanding on this matter is that all the Yapese people who had ended up helping the filming, no matter how much they were paid, are victims, because they didn’t know how they and Yap would be presented. I understand that they helped filming believing their actions would support the tourism promotion. In other words, they were cheated. The persons to be blamed are the program makers and their Japanese agent who knowingly helped them made their way into Yap.
In Japan some people like to be involved and exposed in TV shows knowingly because they know how they will be exposed and laughed at by viewers. Some will do it for money and the others might do it for fun. But for the people in Yap, there will be no way for them to know and have informed consent in full. Thus, making local people involved in this kind of game show is a crime.
The following are my suggestions to help protect the local community from future contacts by foreign film makers;
Before accepting foreign TV or film making, it is recommended to search for information from more than one source. The information needed is its title, contents, purposes, objectives, sponsors, featuring staff, planned air time and target viewers, etc. to foresee the nature of the program. And have the applicant agree:
1) To make a written agreement on the intent, portrait rights, local benefits, and penalties.
2) To have appropriate community consultation at all stages of filming, including its design and practice.
3) To obtain the informed consent of those who might be unreasonably affected or of their legal guardian. In seeking informed consent, the applicant should explain the potential beneficial and harmful effects of the program on individuals, on the community and/or on the environment.
4) To have all the local community involved review the product before on-air.
5) To make copies of the product available to all the local communities involved besides to the agencies as stated in the Yap State Researchers’ Law.
Lastly, after the on-air of this program, I received many comments from various viewers who know Yap. All of them were so angry at the program makers. One anthropologist whose research field is Yap officially sent a protest letter to Fuji TV. Another anthropologist whose research field is Solomon Islands and PNG also announced strong interest in this case because he made many protests to the same TV Company in similar situations. Let us, some “aware” Japanese, work on the Japan side to help protect the dignity of local communities in foreign countries. At the same time, please help train the Japanese workers in Yap so that they can learn what they are expected to do for the benefit of the local communities, not for the Japanese mass media environment.
Thank you very much for your cooperation and your patience to spare your time on my comments.