MEDIA WATCH | AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Wright’s book presented an inaccurate and misleading picture of Scientology

…you should also have noted that Wright’s book failed not only to get close to the real facts about Scientology or its Founder but also failed to win the National Book award.

22 February 2011

Austin American Statesman
Austin, TX 78767

Dear Mr. Ealy:

I read your piece today, Wright makes long list for National Book Award, and was struck with the question of how that could possibly be true when the book was published several years ago. I scanned the article again seeking to make sense of it, again noting the publication time and date of this article was 3:15 a.m., February 22, 2017. It was not until taking another look that I saw in small print “originally published September 18, 2013.”

Unreal! This article was disingenuously posted as if “current news,” with no tag to any current event that would justify its republication. This certainly fulfills at least one definition of “fake news.”

While I appreciate that Scientology is a popular subject—hence the need for news media to constantly refer to it—you should also have noted that Wright’s book failed not only to get close to the real facts about Scientology or its Founder but also failed to win the National Book award.

Wright’s book presented an inaccurate and misleading picture of Scientology, based on myths, urban legends and deliberate distortions while perpetuating anti-religious bigotry against the Scientology religion.

For facts about Scientology, readers should review for themselves what our religion stands for and accomplishes at www.scientology.org.

Catriona McKencie
Ontario, Calif.