BBC’s Panorama Documentary on Scientology VS. Scientology’s Documentary on the BBC filming their documentary on Scientology

BBC's John Sweeney

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BBC’s Panorama recently partook in it’s second investigation of Scientology. The first was hugely popular in the 1980s because it illustrated the somewhat strange beliefs of Scientologist’s level OT III in cartoon form. Their recent documentary which can be viewed here;

Panorama’s Scientology Documentary

shows Panorama reporter John Sweeney lose it after being seemingly stalked by the controversial religion. Scientologist’s strategy appears to be to follow the reporter everywhere and then appear as Sweeney questions opposer’s of the religion and attempt to blacken the interviewee’s name so that their words cannot be trusted. Towards the end of the documentary, John Sweeney can be seen losing his patience with the leader and breaks out in a fit of rage. Sweeney also gets the opportunity to interview major celebrities and to question them on the more controversial aspects of the religion but the Church of Scientology does not allow him to show the footage in the documentary.

The opposing documentary made afterwards by the Scientologists can be viewed here:

http://www.freedommag.org/bbc/video_flash.html

It shows the flip side to the story. It appears that the BBC have gone against their code of conduct in the way they have dealt with the television report by interviewing unreliable sources. They even go so far as to link John Sweeney to terrorist organizations. I posted the two links to show the contrasting sides of the stories and let the viewer make up their own mind about the controversial religion and errrrrmmmmm the vicious BBC.

The most striking point out of the whole scenario I think is the major contrast between the BBC attempting to obtain a neutral unbiased report versus Scientology using every possible method to blacken the name of John Sweeney and worsen the reputation of the BBC.