Editing American Idol (section)

==Controversy==
{{Main|American Idol controversies{{!}}''American Idol'' controversies}}
The show was criticized in earlier seasons over the onerous contract contestants had to sign that gave excessive control to [[19 Entertainment]] over their future careers<ref>{{cite news |date=September 18, 2002 |title=Slaves of Celebrity |work=Salon.com |url=http://www.salon.com/entertainment/feature/2002/09/18/idol_contract |access-date=February 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212095247/http://www.salon.com/entertainment/feature/2002/09/18/idol_contract |archive-date=February 12, 2010}}</ref> and handed a large part of their future earnings to the management.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kerensky |first=Lauren |date=January 16, 2007 |title=WWealth doesn't trickle down to 'Idol' talent |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/16657314 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130205060858/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/16657314 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 5, 2013 |access-date=February 24, 2011 |website=NBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 20, 2004 |title=Simon Fuller: 'American Idol' Svengali |url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3943498 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924125302/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3943498 |archive-date=September 24, 2012 |access-date=February 24, 2011 |publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref>

Individual contestants have generated controversy in this competition for their past actions<ref name="mtv – screening" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Idol's Most Notorious |url=http://www.comcast.net/slideshow/tv-eyeonidol-idolsmostnotorious/10/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313171941/http://www.comcast.net/slideshow/tv-eyeonidol-idolsmostnotorious/10/ |archive-date=March 13, 2009 |access-date=February 24, 2011 |publisher=Comcast.net}}</ref> or for being 'ringers' planted by the producers.<ref name="ringers" /> A number of contestants have been disqualified for various reasons, such as for having an existing contract or undisclosed criminal record, although the show has also been accused of a double standard for disqualifying some but not others.<ref>{{cite news |last=Amy Bonawitz |date=March 6, 2007 |title=Frenchie Davis: "Idol" Double Standard? |work=CBS |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/frenchie-davis-idol-double-standard/ |access-date=February 24, 2011}}</ref>

Voting results have been a consistent source of controversy. The mechanism of voting has aroused considerable criticism, most notably in the second season when Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken in a close vote,<ref name="Your Vote Doesn't Count" /> and in the eighth season, when the massive increase in text votes<ref name="ATT 2009" /> fueled the texting controversy.<ref name="textgate" /> Concerns about power voting have been expressed from the first season.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Susman |first=Gary |date=August 19, 2002 |title=Power-dialing hackers spam ''American Idol'' voting |url=https://ew.com/article/2002/08/19/power-dialing-hackers-spam-american-idol-voting/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=April 3, 2011}}</ref> Since 2004, votes also have been affected to a limited degree by online communities such as [[DialIdol]] and [[Vote for the Worst]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}