After being on the air for just a few weeks, “The Green Man” TV show has been temporarily shut down due to allegations of bribery and greenwashing. It is funded by an Israeli chemical company.
A new environmental television show called “The Green Man” debuted just a few weeks ago, hosted by well known Israeli news anchor Gadi Sukenik. The promotional video for the TV show, shown above, shows Sukenik walking through all kinds of environmentally polluted areas and finally asking the viewers how long they can remain detached from the environment. The real question may be, however, how detached from altruistic environmental goals “The Green Man” is.
Following numerous complaints, the show was temporarily suspended last week until further investigations can be conducted into whether the show received compensation for featuring certain companies, and the extent to which it is a conflict of interest that Israel Chemicals is one of the program sponsors.
The production company is currently being investigated under allegations that companies paid to be on the show, with prices dependent upon the amount of time that the company wished to be featured. Documents were found suggesting that companies could purchase small amounts of time (such as five minutes) or even an entire episode.
The broadcasting company issued a statement saying that “The Green Man will not be broadcast until the investigation of the production company has been completed. The results of the investigation will be send to us, and we will respond to the actions of the production company with great severity.”
The show may have been laden with problems since the very beginning, though, since Israel Chemicals is one of the main sponsors. Sukenik, the host of the show, sees no problem with the sponsor, however, and said that “if you ask me, it’s good that a polluting company takes steps to partly rectify its actions… I believe eventually they’ll repair… I hope it won’t be too late.”
Read more about eco-friendly TV shows and TVs:
Thirteen Part Television Series on Geography and the Environment Broadcast in Israel
Qatari TV Program “Stars of Science” Focuses on Environmentally Friendly Innovations
Israel Has Plans to Outlaw Dinosaur TVs
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
very interesting… is this the same company that’s funded a School of Sustainability? http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/01/israeli-school-of-sustainability-funded-by-major-polluting-firms/