Giving too many chances

People can be very forgiving perhaps sometimes even too forgiving. Such is often the case in Scientology. We try to give a second chance whenever possible and that second chance often extends to third, forth, fifth and more chances.

Such was the case with Mark "Marty" Rathbun. Despite his really bad behavior he was given many chances but eventually he decided he didn't want any more chances and left the Church. It was his right to do that, no one can force you to be a Scientologist. But then he saw an opportunity to make a quick buck out of Scientology's huge popularity and his former position in the Church and so began his campaign of lies that culminated in a ridiculous news article (see "Inside the S.P. Times") and a TV show that really shows how bad journalism can get (see "A History of Lies")

Of course, there will be those who, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, will insist that Rathbun's unsubstantiated accusations are true. Unfortunately for such people, Rathbun just went out of his way to prove how untrustworthy he is by getting himself arrested (Mark "Marty" Rathbun arrest documents) and then took no responsibility at all for his actions.

This nine-day-wonder is nearing the end of his ninth day and will soon relapse back into obscurity along with his lies and money making hopes. Personally, I can't wait for midnight to strike.

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Truth versus Hatchet Job

A hatchet job is defined as "a very strong and unfair criticism, especially in the form of a newspaper article". That's a rather mild definition. I'd call it a deliberate attempt to harm or destroy in a news media article.

In an attempt to recover his dismal ratings, Anderson Cooper, that handsome CNN presenter (I won't call him journalist as that would insult real members of the profession), did a hatchet job recently on Scientology . The facts of what happened may fascinating reading. You can read all about it (and see some really good videos) here: CNN The Least Trusted Name in News - AC360: See Anderson Cooper Run for Ratings

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Alternative Media (Guest Post)

This is a guest post from Anthony Fox, the former editor of No Agenda News.

I've been seeing some terrible stories about Scientology in the news recently and pretty much every one of them leaves me wondering, "What do the Scientologist's have to say about this?"

The mainstream media quite often leaves me, and many others, with unanswered questions. The alternative media came into existence as an attempt to answer those questions.

As the mainstream media becomes more and more connected to big corporations; promoting the corporate agenda at the expense of the individuals, small businesses and organizations; the alternative media grows in response.

So what is the alternative media?

Wikipedia:

Alternative media are media (newspapers, radio, television, movies, Internet, etc.) which are alternatives to the business or government-owned mass media. Proponents of alternative media argue that the mainstream media are biased. While sources of alternative media can also be biased (sometimes proudly so), proponents claim that the bias is significantly different than that of the mainstream media, hence these media provide an "alternative" viewpoint. As such,advocacy journalism tends to be a component of many alternative outlets.

Because the term "alternative" has connotations of self-marginalization, some media outlets now prefer the term "independent" over "alternative".

Most, if not all, alternative media does at least some reporting on media bias, as it is the reason alternative media exists.

I saw what I believed was media bias in the reporting on Scientology. So I did a piece on it 'Attacking Scientology' and a follow up 'Attacking Scientology Revisited' where I relate my experiences with the 'Anonymous' group after posting the original piece. I did these articles, not because I'm a member of the Church of Scientology (I'm not) or because I think Scientologists need to be defended. I did them because it was an opportunity to take a shot at the corporate owned media. And if you read the articles, you'll see, I hate bullies.

My name is Anthony Fox and I am the former editor of No Agenda News. I'm a member of the alternative media.

This is what I want:

I want you to find alternative media blogs.

I want you to subscribe to those blogs.

I want you to leave comments on those blogs.

I want you to tell other people about those blogs.

I want you to create links to those blogs on other websites, blogs, and forums.

I say these things, not only because they are true for me, but because they are true for all bloggers. And, bloggers are the foundation of the alternative media today. If you want your story to be reported in the alternative media, bloggers are the key. Scratch their backs and they may scratch yours.

Here's how you can use this:

I want you to find alternative media blogs. - Where do you find alternative media blogs? There are a number of excellent blogs and websites that aggregate the content of other blogs. The majority of the content on No Agenda News, when I was editor, was aggregated. I also had a list, called a blog roll, on the right hand side of the blog which was composed largely of sites that do aggregation. Follow a site that does aggregation and when you see a story that appeals to you, track it back to the authors personal blog.

Find author's that write about things that matter to you and are relevant to the type of stories you want to suggest they look into.

I want you to subscribe to those blogs. - Subscribe to a site that aggregates the kind of stories that interest you and subscribe to the personal blogs of the authors that write those stories. This requires a newsreader. I recommend Google Reader it's the most popular and it's what I use. You'll need to find the RSS feed to the blog you're trying to subscribe to, you may see an icon similar to this or a link that says 'RSS' or 'Atom Posts' or any of dozens of other possibilities. If it's too hard to figure out, move on to the next blog.

I want you to leave comments on those blogs. - If the author has a lot of people commenting you probably will want to find another blog. The author may not moderate their comments, which means they don't read much of them, and you want to stand out as someone who takes a particular interest in their work.

Don't leave comments anonymously. I probably don't need to say that here, huh?

It's important to leave comments that show you read and understood what the author was writing about. This might seem obvious, but apparently, it's not to most people who leave comments. If your comments are relevant to the post it will be noticed.

While you do want to engage the author, you don't want to seem desperate and lonely. If you get into a conversation with the author don't change the topic when that one is exhausted, wait for their next post and discuss that.

Keep in mind your goal is to develop a relationship with the author. Don't twist their arm or spam them.

I want you to tell other people about those blogs. - Tell people about the amazing article you read and let the author know. It wouldn't hurt to set up an account on one of the social bookmarking or social news sites: StumbleUpon, Delicious, Reddit etc. (I'm assuming you're already on Twitter, Facebook, Buzz or something similar. You are, aren't you?)

I want you to create links to those blogs on other websites, blogs, and forums. - Links are a way for people to find the authors blog and they also help the blogs SEO (search engine optimization) which makes the blog more likely to be found by people searching for the content contained in the blog. With this also, let the author know.

Forums are also good places to meet and engage bloggers. No Agenda Forum and Above Top Secret are forums I follow for alternative news, though I am sure there are many others. I suggest following them in your newsreader.

I hope this information is useful and gets used. I really would like to hear what the Scientologists have to say for themselves.

(Grahame's Note: When Anthony left No Agenda News and it became a reviews blog I updated this post to refer to "alternative media blogs" instead of specifically No Agenda. I attempted to alter the content of the post as little as possible so tell me if I didn't achieve that.)

Guest Post - No Agenda News

For the first time on this blog I'm having a guest post and it's not from a Scientologist.

It's a guest post from Anthony Fox, the editor of No Agenda News.

It will be posted in the next couple of days. So stay tuned.

Latest Freedom Magazine

The latest edition of Freedom Magazine is now available for online reading: Psychiatric Screening: Destroying Lives for Profit.

The magazine contains great articles, I especially recommend the "A License To Print Money" article by Alexander Cockburn, an eye-opening expose of the ties between Big Pharma and the Media.

Flee, Flee, The Hurricane!

As readers of this blog will know, I am not a big fan of the main stream news media.  They are obsessed with sensationalism rather than reporting facts.  I hate to generalize but I think that applies to 99% of them.

Tropical Storm Fay is a perfect example of this.  The media has been announcing how we are all going to die because of the horrible hurricane that is on its way.  The frenzy was so ridiculous that one of the guys I work with who is new to Florida wasn't going to come in today because of the hurricane.  The storm isn't going to hit till tomorrow night or even Wednesday morning, so why stay home today?  People in the apartment building where he lives were actually preparing to evacuate and that was on Sunday.  That is hysteria created by the news media.

The truth about Fay is that there is a 5% chance it will become a hurricane and it's not even going to hit us - it's going to reach land over a hundred miles away.  I don't think that warrants evacuation.

Anyway, it's just another example of the media and their obsession with sensationalism.  The problem with this "news as entertainment" mindset is that it is "crying wolf".  People could become desensitized to real important news and therefore ignore a real crisis.  Next time we get a "killer hurricane" maybe it really will be another Katrina and people will pay no attention to the news because they are so used to the sensationalism.

I just wish the people who put out this crap that passes for news would realize their true responsibilities to accurately inform people so they can make sane choices.  But as long as the news media is governed by how many eyeballs they can attract for their advertisers, that is just not going to happen.

My Hands Just Turned Purple

The gullibility rating of the Internet hit a new high yesterday when a highly reliable (sorry if the sarcasm dripped onto your computer screen) source of entertainment news reported that Katie Holmes' hands had turned purple. Don't laugh. Someone did actually report that and several "news" (that may not be the right word, if you can think of a better one then please tell me in the comments) sites picked it up and began repeating it, in the usual mindless fashion of news sites, as if it were true.

The "source" of this nonsense? A paparazzi pic that, if you zoomed in on it, made her hand look a bit dark. Perhaps a shadow? - No way. Let's take the much more logical explanation: her hands have turned purple.

Freedom of speech is threatened when it is abused like this. What is its value when any jerk can make up some news story because he needs to attract eyeballs?

That people believed such nonsense is also scary. Is the general public so gullible? I hope not. What do you think?

BTW, if you are interested, here are some other shots of her hands taken on the same day: What's wrong with Katie Holmes' Hands?. Gee, I wonder why the reporters never looked at these? I guess they didn't want to spoil a perfectly good story by injecting some pesky truth into it.

Scientology and the News Media

Dana asked:

I'm asking this in a completely neutral way. I have enjoyed learning about the religion from your perspective and I think it's only fair that you be treated with respect, not as an enemy of sorts. I can actually see why people become Scientologists and do not assume they've signed over their brains (or minds of any sort) when they do so.

But my question is -- even if I were interested in becoming a Scientologist myself, my understanding is that I would automatically be disqualified from doing so and labeled an SP because of my profession. I'm a journalist, and because of that I have been told that I am a "merchant of chaos".

I see where that idea comes from, but the fact is that I could go to just about any church or mosque or coven and be welcomed if I were a believer. At none of those places would it be assumed that I have an automatic desire to damage the faith through doing my job.

So if you could, could you explain why this is a good (or even bad) policy or why I should give up a good, honorable profession to better myself as a human being.

I know that Scientologists have some very valid reasons for hating the media overall, but it's also true that some of your celebrities, such as Tom Cruise, have used to tell the world about their own positive experiences using the tech, and that has helped your religion gain membership. Thanks!

Hey Dana,

I'm not sure where you got the idea that Scientologists regard journalists as SPs or "Merchants of Chaos". Isn't Greta Van Susteren a journalist? I work with a guy whose wife is a journalist, she's a nice lady, I have read some of her work and I don't have a problem with it. Scientologists who are celebrities deal with journalists all the time. I don't know who gave you that data but it is completely false. "Suppressive Person" is not a label that is applied casually. Nobody in Scientology "hates" the media.

I think there is no doubt that there are certain individuals in the media who are not nice people and who are there to make a buck, not to report facts or cause some improvement in society by their stories. You can probably name some of them yourself. In fact, I'm sure you can if this is your field.

I personally am not a fan of the mainstream media as it exists today, not just because of Scientology, but because of the way the average media handles "news". I don't know if you saw the movie "Lions for Lambs", but there are some very cogent points made about the current state of the media and their tendency to just follow public opinion rather than stand up for what is right or true.

At the very end of the movie is a scene where the college student is considering what his professor told him regarding doing something to change the state of the country and he is half watching the news. It's a CNN sort of channel and there's a piece about a female pop singer and her pop singer husband getting divorced. This piece is getting all the attention, meanwhile along the bottom of the screen is the ticker-tape talking about a new offensive in Afghanistan. To me that really nailed the main-stream media.

The news has become entertainment. The unpleasant realities are words flowing along the bottom so you can ignore them if you want. What is important is eyeballs and advertising dollars. Meryl Streep plays the journalist in the movie and by the end she is realizing what has happened to the ideals she had when she became an journalist. (As an aside, it's a great movie. I highly recommend it, especially to a journalist. The basic message of the movie is "do something about it!")

A great movie that, for me, says how the media should be is Good Night, and Good Luck. Edward R. Murrow stood up to Senator Joseph McCarthy and helped bring down an evil man. He did it with facts and truth. The bread and butter of the news media should be facts and truth and sadly I see far to little of that in modern journalism.

Finally, if you haven't seen it already, is the classic movie Network. When it came out it was part fiction and part fantasy, but now, what that movie portrays, has become fact.

I do think there are good, honest journalists around. I would just like to see them as the norm rather than the exception. Most of the journalists I respect are independents and talk about things out of the mainstream, things that the mainstream media ignore.

Now to get to your point about a journalist taking services at a Church. People are only allowed to take services in a Scientology Church if they are there because they want to improve themselves. If a person is there to "investigate" then they are there for a different purpose than personal spiritual improvement, so it ain't gonna work. If a person wants to "investigate" Scientology they can buy a few books and read them or they can come in to see the Director of Special Affairs at a Church who is there to answer questions from the press.

If a member of the press is interested in personal spiritual gain and is honestly seeking it then there are no barriers to them.

I hope that answered your questions and I hope you enjoy my movie suggestions :)

How the news media treats Celebrities

Have you ever noticed how parasites destroy their host? For example, the tape worm eats the host's food before it gets to the host and the host eventually starves to death. When human parasites and worms eat their way through a person's body they destroy the immune system and leave the host prey to infections that can potentially kill.

Have you ever noticed how the news media treats celebrities? It is just the same as how any other parasite works and just as repulsive. Take a look at some gutter press magazine such as "US" or "In Touch" and you will see exactly what I mean.

L. Ron Hubbard put it best when he said: "News media is parasitic on those who make news. It is not true that those who make news need the news at all. Who needs cancer?"

Great Source of News

For years Freedom Magazine has been doing leading edge investigative reporting. That's just one reason why at the National Federation of Press Women’s annual conference Freedom was awarded 1st place winner in the category “Writing for the Web”. Read the full story at: Freedom Magazine Wins Top Prize for Investigative Journalism.

Now you don't have to wait for the next edition of Freedom in order to keep up with the news. There is a new Freedom Magazine Blog that you can even add to your browser's news feeds just click here: Freedom Magazine Blog RSS Feed.

In a world bombarded with news that is often simply attempting to attract eyeballs so advertisers can make a quick buck rather than present useful news, it's nice to find a site that gives you straight news on important subjects that may impact your life.