Could problems be solved by grilling officials on live TV?

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"They didn't serve in the right way, their attitudes are not correct," an officer quickly answered after watching a video showing a 75-year-old resident that was being rebuked for a pension issue in a district he governed.

Lin Shuwen, the man who answered, is the Party chief of Hongshan district in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province. On Tuesday, he, along with 11 other officials, appeared in a TV show called Dianshi Wenzheng, also named Questioning Officials on TV. This is where officials are questioned about different issues on live TV.

These 12 officials were asked to solve several administrative problems reported and were graded by 20 members of the audience from their jurisdiction.

Audiences comment offcials' answer by emotion sign. /CFP Photo

Since the Dianshi Wenzheng aired at Hu Bei Satellite TV (HBTV) in 2012, ratings are consistently getting higher every year. More than that, over 280 administrative problems that has been reported during the show were solved immediately. Over 333 responsible persons were also punished accordingly.

It seemed to be a good way to improve local government’s work system and the working styles of officials. For now, there are 25 provinces that have a similar show in China. However, people still have different views about the show.

Social media feedback info screen on the scene. /CFP Photo

"It is a good way to help solve the many problems of people," said Zhang Zhuo, a professor of broadcast journalism at Wuhan University who participated in the show. "But it is very difficult for county-level media to supervise their governments."

Zhang added that instead of relying no the TV show to solve the problems, it is more important to have a regular and more in-depth investigation to solve the roots of the problems in a certain government.

The government should establish a long-term mechanism to help the public solve problems, said Zhou Zhe, an engineering consultant.

"It's the most popular TV show in Wuhan, and everyone around me is discussing it," he said. "As a Wuhan resident, I surely hope it can help to make Wuhan better. I hope it will not become a show only raising questions."

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