Friday, April 29, 2005
Behind the Veil
Publicists are very good at protecting their clients from hostile interviewers. Which is why maybe Tom Cruise should rehire Pat Kingsley. This interview in Der Spiegel goes wildly, wildly off track when Cruise starts getting questioned about Scientology:
They should also question guests on their television shows; check this clip from the Daily Show out for a particularly eggregious example of broadcast journalism dropping the ball. You saw this a lot on both sides during the election; journalists don't really know the details of their stories, so when one person lies on camera, the best they can do is say, "It's an interesting debate." I much prefer journalists who say, "That's not correct."
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And it gets worse from there. Read the whole thing; it's the kind of informed, accurate questioning that journalists should give to politicians, but don't.SPIEGEL: Do you see it as your job to recruit new followers for Scientology?
Cruise: I'm a helper. For instance, I myself have helped hundreds of people get off drugs. In Scientology, we have the only successful drug rehabilitation program in the world. It's called Narconon.
SPIEGEL: That's not correct. Yours is never mentioned among the recognized detox programs. Independent experts warn against it because it is rooted in pseudo science.
They should also question guests on their television shows; check this clip from the Daily Show out for a particularly eggregious example of broadcast journalism dropping the ball. You saw this a lot on both sides during the election; journalists don't really know the details of their stories, so when one person lies on camera, the best they can do is say, "It's an interesting debate." I much prefer journalists who say, "That's not correct."
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