Murder linked to Jerry Springer Show comes as no surprise, says Penn State Abington sociologist

The suspected murder of a guest of the Jerry Springer Show at the hands of her ex-husband -- hours after the two bickered in front of millions of viewers -- is another chilling reminder that people's dirty laundry does not belong on television, said Penn State Abington Sociology Professor Vicki Abt.

Abt, who has co-authored a book on the subject of sensationalized TV talk shows and written numerous articles on the subject, said the death of Nancy Campbell-Panitz last week after she argued with husband, Ralf, and his current wife, Eleanor, on Springer is a foreseeable product of this brand of television. Published reports indicate, among other things, that Ralf Panitz acknowledged on the show that he had recently been sleeping with his ex-wife.

"The recent homicide associated with an appearance on the Jerry Springer Show is yet another visible case -- the other being the homicide relating to a guest's humiliation on the Jenny Jones Show a few years ago," said Abt. "The homicides are probably the most visible "tip of the iceberg" in terms of the "fallout" of such public appearances within a context of humiliation and shameless exploitation of people's private dysfunctional relations -- and often severe mental problems -- for our amusement and entertainment."

Abt said guests on these types of shows often lack the ability to regroup mentally and emotionally from the "hits" they have taken on the boob tube.

"We know that "airing one's dirty linen" in public cannot be considered traditional therapy in any sense of the word," said Abt. "Those involved in therapy have all kinds of safeguards built into the doctor/patient relationship, not the least of which are the protocols of privacy and concern for protecting the patient. Clearly the shows in question have not taken pains to research any background material on potential participants as to their relative abilities to handle this kind of spectacle."

In addition to her book on the subject, "Coming After Oprah: Cultural Fallout in the Age of the TV Talk Show," Abt has discussed the issue as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Press Contact: David Jwanier, manager of public information, Penn State/Philadelphia, 610-648-3276.