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Mediacorp actress Chantalle Ng's revelation about how she was allegedly hospitalised after being beaten by her father, Huang Yiliang, has garnered a lot of attention lately.

Since she spoke about it during Quan Yi Fong's talk show, "Hear U Out", Huang has also shared his side of the story and his reactions to what his daughter said on the show via a Facebook livestream on Sep. 26.

Live discussion on radio show

The incident was also discussed on Mediacorp Mandarin radio station Capital 958 hosted by radio DJs Linxuan and Qiqi.

During a live interview that was broadcasted on Capital 958's Facebook page on Sep. 29, social worker Samuel Ng criticised programmes such as "Hear U Out" for being "immoral".

He explained that revealing an artiste's private matters and subjecting it to public discussion sensationalises the matter for the purposes of  viewership.

As a professional social worker, he said that he would want to protect the parties involved instead.

He also questioned the objective of publicising such private matters and whether amends can be made for any hurt inflicted upon the family.

When Linxuan pointed out that the demand for such sensational topics encourage the production of such shows, Ng agreed, calling it "a vicious cycle".

In response to a netizen's remark that the artiste could choose not to answer questions that probe into their personal matters, Ng implied that there may be some pressure imposed on the artiste to share when they appear on such programmes.

Repercussions of revealing private matters

Many people are unaware of the consequences of exposing their own private affairs, Ng said.

He provided two examples of cases he has seen in his work to support his stance of how such publicity could invite undesirable negative attention and comments.

The first example was about how a family who was unable to afford the medical bills of their son received a large sum of donations after being spotlighted by the media, which later resulted in neighbours gossiping about their sudden windfall.

The second example featured an individual who became the target of neighbours' gossip after he appeared on a television show following a suicide attempt. A couple of months later, it was discovered that he attempted to take his life again a second time due to the immense pressure.

How to approach such discussions

Linxuan highlighted a listener's sentiment suggesting that the trio's live discussion of this topic itself served to boost the radio listenership.

Qiqi responded by saying the discussion can be approached from many angles and topics, such as how to discipline a child and what is too 'strict' or whether one should cane a child.

They also discussed possible ways of talking about family trauma, and ways of addressing it.

Check out the full video here:

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

Read more

Top images via meWATCH and Capital 958's Facebook page.

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