I rarely watch any of the shows these days, but I did at one time, as each premiered and such, watched for a few weeks on each to see what was being said and portrayed.
I, like some others, have been doing this long before there was ever a "market" for paranormal reality television. Actually, it was still a very taboo thing to even mention much less do when I started. And, more often than not, you were deemed as "Crazy" and other descriptive verbs.
Do I think the shows are a detriment? Well, I suppose it is in the angles you choose to look at the show on. Do I agree with everything I see and hear on the shows? Absolutely not! There are many things I do not agree with actually, but perhaps I'll write about that side at some point in another forum or chalk it up to an article.
Anyway, like anything in life, you need to look at the whole thing - not just one side. Then, weed out all the BS and understanding that "Hollywood" has their fingers touching these shows, and find credible statements or other potential evidences collected. But finally, one must remember that these shows are on television purely for entertainment purposes and at the end of the day, for the amount of viewers had, er-goes the paycheck to the executives bank account.
Remember, just because you watch it on television, read it in a magazine or hear it on the radio does not mean there is 100% truth in what you said or written.
Not all investigations produce "evidence" and/or ghosts. What is on TV is back to back haunts for the most part...with a few "we're not convinced" statements in between.
As Arthur Freed said in his 1974 song, "That's Entertainment"!