News Summary: Hit UK show stirs welfare debate

Published



POVERTY TV: The hit reality TV show “Benefits Street,” featuring welfare recipients, has struck a strong chord in a Britain fresh out of recession and still reeling from its most brutal austerity measures in a generation.

THE CRITICISM: Some say “Benefits Street” and its ilk are designed to fan hatred by showing people on the dole in the worst possible light, turning the poor — stereotyped as lazy and dishonest — into fodder for crass entertainment and easy targets for blame.

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