MAJOR TV SHOW TO DISCUSS JW CHILD ABUSE (page 14)

hawkaw

WoooooooooooooooooHoooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The press promoting the press ..... ah ... synergy

hawkaw

Montreal Gazette!!!!!!!!!!! - 2 million population base and Main English Newspaper in Montreal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=e8b4a92c-7a0b-4817-b02e-fa84bedb991d Charges against Jehovah's Witness elders Basem Boshra The Gazette Wednesday, January 29, 2003

What to watch: The Fifth Estate (CBMT-6, 9 to 10 p.m.) features Spiritual Shepherds, an explosive full-length report hosted by Bob McKeown that reveals disturbing allegations and evidence of sexual abuse of minors by elders of the Jehovah's Witness Church in Canada and the United States.

McKeown's interviews with abuse victims are heartbreaking and revealing, as they share their stories of being shamed, shunned and ultimately exiled by a church hierarchy more interested in keeping their allegations a secret than protecting defenseless children from horrific acts of abuse that they allege.

It's a shocking, powerful program that's sure to make waves in the Church, the officials of which refused to respond to the victims' allegations on camera, though not for a lack of trying on the part of the tenacious McKeown and the Fifth Estate team. The likely impact of this kind of report is precisely why it's essential media organizations continue to devote the substantial time and resources required to produce such important investigative journalism.

What to avoid: It just debuted Sunday during the Super Bowl, but is anyone else already sick of that Pepsi Twist ad with the ubiquitous Osbournes, the one where Jack and Kelly morph into the Osmonds and Ozzy wakes up with Florence Henderson? That's just what the Osbournes need: more TV exposure.

What else is on? Jeff Goldblum (The Fly, Jurassic Park) stars as a veteran war correspondent trying to cover the civil war in Uzbekistan while guiding his new photographer (Lake Bell) through all of the madness on War Stories (WPTZ-5, 8 to 10 p.m.), an expensive-looking NBC made-for-TV movie.

The Great Canadian Music Dream (CBMT-6, 8 to 9 p.m.) takes its search for the country's hottest young musical talent to Winnipeg, while judges Paula, Randy and Simon go to Hollywood for the next round of auditions - sure to be much more listenable than most of the ones we've heard so far - on American Idol (WFFF-44, 8:30 to 10 p.m.). Meanwhile, viewers of Star Search (WCAX-3, 8 to 9 p.m.) continue to seek an explanation for Arsenio Hall's baffling hair-do. (Save your energy; there isn't one.)

Fran?ois gets in trouble with the city when he builds a deck in his backyard without getting the proper permits on 450, Chemin du golf (CFJP-35, 8:30 to 9 p.m.), TQS's amusing suburban sitcom. (Although it's nowhere near as funny as the show's deafening laugh track, one of the loudest I've ever heard, would have us believe.)

Trista Rehn - aka The Bachelorette (WVNY-22, 8:30 to 10 p.m.) - gets an extra 30 minutes to eliminate one of four guys still vying for her affections, as well as prove the women of reality TV can be just as vapid and superficial as the guys.

And if you deem most of the above to be far too lowbrow for your refined taste in television, PBS's American Masters (WETK-33 and WCFE-57, 9 to 11 p.m.) presents a profile of the nearly century-old Juilliard School in New York City and the staggering number of accomplished artists who've passed through its hallowed halls. It's sure to be fascinating.

hawkaw

Woooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooooooooooooo

We're Rolling BIGTIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Pleasuredome

i cant get to see it.

hawkaw

COAST TO COAST with the Globe and Mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/

TGAM/20030129/RVDOYL/Arts/thearts/thearts_temp/3/3/14/

(note you will have to copy both parts of the url to your browser to go to the web site)

Sideswiping the flag-waving hoopla

BY JOHN DOYLE

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 Print Edition, Page R2

I figured that War Stories (NBC, 9 p.m.) would be a crock, but it's nothing of the kind. Never underestimate the sheer weirdness of the American television industry.

War Stories is a two-hour movie (and pilot for a possible series) about war correspondents covering a civil war in Uzbekistan. The United States is backing the corrupt, unpopular government. The Islamic fundamentalist opposition is being backed and funded by al-Qaeda.

As War Stories points out, it's likely that the root of the whole sad, fictional mess is access to oil.

There are many unsavoury elements in the American TV business and I don't doubt a network's willingness to co-opt a looming way with Iraq for a sexy TV series. But War Stories is wickedly contrary. You have to admire the zany writers and producers who use it to question American foreign policy and encourage the public to be deeply skeptical about the very notion of "good guys" and "bad guys" in any war.

War Stories is flawed, often naive and in many ways deeply conventional, but it's got a helluva hate-on for Dubya-style simplicities about good and evil.

The setting in the Uzbekistan war zone contains the usual circus of egotistical, brave and insane correspondents. Jeff Goldblum plays Ben, a seasoned newspaper reporter. A landmine killed his best pal, a photographer, and he's trying to get over the loss. The replacement photographer is Nora (Lake Bell), who arrives believing that the American government supports the decent, freedom-loving government and the fundamentalists are just terrorists who hate America. Over the two hours, Nora learns that she's wrong about almost everything.

War Stories is about as plausible about reporters as The West Wing is about politicians. Many of the characters, especially a female, English TV producer who sleeps with everybody, are a bit ridiculous. But that's not really the point here. The point is to let the audience know that in journalism, "There is no such thing as the truth. That's why they call them stories." That phrase is repeated endlessly.

In one instance the Americans bomb a refugee camp. There is initial outrage that "smart bombs" were dumb killers of women and children. Then somebody realizes that the fundamentalists used the refugees as a shield to hide tanks and other arms. Then it's discovered that the tanks might not have been real at all. Every assumption is questioned.

Then somebody says that, you know, this conflict isn't about al-Qaeda or even about Uzbekistan. It's actually about having a stable government next door to Kazakhstan. That's where the oil is, and some corporation might want to put a pipeline through Uzbekistan. Somebody also points out that the war in Afghanistan was actually about an oil pipeline.

Normally, the only time you hear this sort of opinion on American TV news is when the person speaking is more or less labelled "the crazy guy."

There's something angry and refreshing about War Stories. Sure, the characters lack depth, but the attitude is bracing. It's as if a bunch of smart alecs decided that maybe, on this whole war thing, Americans might want to start thinking with their heads instead of their phallic missiles. Good for them. War Stories is an entertaining, hectoring lecture on the need to be skeptical.
The fifth estate (CBC, 9 p.m.) includes this rhetorical question: "If you were a mother would you go to Saddam Hussein for help?" It's interesting that Saddam is the embodiment of evil, but this mother is a former Jehovah's Witness and she's actually talking about going to the police.

The program, a report by Bob McKeown, is a devastating investigation of the failure by church elders to act on allegations of child sexual abuse. It begins in the United States, and we are told the appalling story of a young woman named Holly, who was raped repeatedly by her stepfather, a Jehovah's Witness. It's her mother who makes the rhetorical reference to Saddam, when she explains that going outside the church for help was no option.

We also meet a former Elder who says he left the church when it was clear that allegations of serious crimes were being ignored. "Even if you murder your wife, the first thing you do is call the Elders to ask them what to do next," he says. He also claims that church secrecy prohibits anybody from knowing the identity of suspected molesters or even those who have admitted the crime. "Not even a man's own wife knew that he was a child molester."

The program takes the view that the people who control the Jehovah's Witnesses church say one thing in public and doe another in private. In Canada, the law compels everyone -- including clergy -- to report allegations of child abuse. Church officials say they follow the law. However, the program says that in reality, the practice is to have the child confront the accused abuser. One young man who was repeatedly abused says that he was called in for "judgment" because he'd been reported to be part of a homosexual act.

The program is not easy viewing. There is an abundance of pain and fury.
Dates and times may vary across the country. Please check local listings or visit http://www.globeandmail.com/tv
[email protected]

Angharad

i cant get to see it

Simon will be adding it to the media on this site as soon as he gets his little mits on it.

Edited by - angharad on 29 January 2003 9:2:16

hawkaw

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did anybody read this quote from the Globe and Mail article !!!!!!!!!!!

"If you were a mother would you go to Saddam Hussein for help?" It's interesting that Saddam is the embodiment of evil, but this mother is a former Jehovah's Witness and she's actually talking about going to the police .

And then this at the end!!!!!!!

The program is not easy viewing. There is an abundance of pain and fury.

MAJOR TV SHOW TO DISCUSS JW CHILD ABUSE

UnDisfellowshipped

outnfree

hawkaw

Scully

hawkaw

hawkaw

Pleasuredome

hawkaw

Angharad

hawkaw

Share this