MEDIA WATCH | THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Cheap Shot Bigotry Still the Name of the Game at THR

One would think the trade publication of that industry would take a professional point of view, not a salacious one better suited for tabloid magazines.

March 14, 2018

Matthew Belloni, Managing Editor
The Hollywood Reporter

Mr. Belloni:

The launch of the Scientology.tv channel was appropriately greeted politely by most media publications. The Hollywood Reporter, however, presented an article that was so slanted, it would offend people of ANY religion, so intolerant and degrading was the report.

It’s a mystery to me why THR would attack, in its maiden voyage, a religious programming channel without giving it the courtesy it would grant to any new secular cable channel. Particularly when so many individuals in Hollywood, some quite prominent, are members of the religion being presented, myself included.

Cheap shots are easy to take at any new offering on TV or in theaters, but one would think the trade publication of that industry would take a professional point of view, not a salacious one better suited for tabloid magazines.

A professional show-business journalist, such as the author of this slam purports to be, would certainly know the myriad efforts, planning, coordination and sheer hard work involved in starting a 24/7 multiplatform content channel, and grant it a little respect just on that basis. But the agenda was clear: to assert that anything Scientologists do or say should be mocked.

Which is sad, because that is precisely the attitude that Scientology.tv addresses and answers in their quite professional and informative and UN-BIASED programming.

I advise you to actually watch Scientology.tv. I doubt you did. You might learn a thing or two.

Sincerely,

Jim Meskimen