StopSylvia email: "French journalist needs help"

[RSLancastr]

=====[ PROLOGUE ]=====

Mods, I am posting this in GS&P because I believe it belongs there.

If you feel otherwise and move it elsewhere, I promise I will not react poorly.

=====[ POST ]=====

I received an email at SSB today with the subject "French journalist needs help".

I will not quote the email here, as it contains details I'd rather not be made public at this time.

It was from a French journalist who is creating a TV documentary about astrology and psychics (two subjects the journalist says are wildly popular in France in the past five years). He/She ran across what he/she referred to as "the Sylvia Browne case" while doing research for the documentary, and following up on Browne led him/her to my site. He/She wants to do a phone interview with me about Browne to help prepare for the documentary.

This will be my first interview in some time, so I need to really collect my thoughts to be "on my game" for this.

I just thought you all might be interested.

 

[Madalch]

Glad to hear it.

You might want to tell the journalist that you haven't done interviews in a while, so you'll reserve the right to a "do-over" if s/he's planning to quote you.

 

[RSLancastr]

Thanks, Madalch.

Is that a standard thing in journalism, an interview subject reserving the right to a "do-over"?

 

[Madalch]

Thanks, Madalch.

Is that a standard thing in journalism, an interview subject reserving the right to a "do-over"?

Any time I've been asked to explain something on camera, I've been assured that if it doesn't come out right, we'll shoot it again. Of course, if the reporter's more interested in you and your website than Sylvia's track record, then maybe you won't be offered that.

ETA: Are you sure it's not mushy pretending to be French?

 

[RSLancastr]

The email demonstrates a decent grasp of spelling, grammar and punctuation.

 

[desertgal]

Is that a standard thing in journalism, an interview subject reserving the right to a "do-over"?

I've done interviews for research purposes for 30 years, and "do overs" are SOP. Just make sure you alert the journalist that it is a "do over" ahead of time. It helps a great deal when a "do over" is clearly stated when I am listening to and/or transcribing the tape later. It eliminates confusion over statements that may be conflicting.

 

[RSLancastr]

Good to know, DesertGal - thanks!

 

[Battman]

Ask if you can see it before it airs. If possible, I would find someone who knows French to make sure that the translation and/or subtitles are accurate.

 

[RSLancastr]

I had already decided to do that very thing, Battman. Thanks for the reminder!

I have a good friend who speaks French like a native. Whether or not I would be able to get him access to a recording of the show - assuming I will be allowed a sneak peek - might be an issue, as he lives in SoCal, and I am here in Oregon.

 

[Monza]

I don't really have anything to add other than that I am reading this while sitting at a cafe in Paris.

A phone interview should be relatively informal. I don't think you'll have a problem agreeing to a "do over". Perhaps he can forward some questions ahead of time so that you may prepare? You've handled yourself well in the past, Robert, and I'm sure you'll do a great job.

 

[RSLancastr]

Thanks, Monza.

All, here is my second response to the request (the first was simply to say that I would respond in greater detail today):

Ms. [name]:

Thanks again for your interest in interviewing me regarding Sylvia Browne.

If it is not too late for your deadline, a good time for the interview would be [date/time].

A couple of concerns:

First, what tone will the documentary have towards psychics? I would be concerned if it will portray them as really having psychic abilities, or as harmless fun.

Second, this will be my first interview in quite some time, and I am more concerned than usual that it go well.

(In case you have not read the article "What Happened to This Site?" on my site: I suffered a MASSIVE stroke in August of 2008, was in a coma for two months and was hospitalized for eleven months total. While I am now physically impaired as a result of the stroke, my cognitive and speech abilities are fine, but I am still concerned that I might not do as well in an interview as I might like.

In discussing this with journalist friends, they recommended that I ask you that this interview be a "Do-over" interview.

As I understand it, that means that I would reserve the right to redo the interview if I am not satisfied with how it goes.

I would also ask that I be allowed to view a copy of the documentary prior to it airing. I do not speak French (other than to say "je ne parle-pas Francais - Parles vous Anglais?" (please pardon my spelling), but have a friend who speaks it fluently who I would like to review the documentary for me (assuming this is possible).

Again, my thanks for asking me to participate in this. I am greatly looking forward to our conversation.

Best regards,

Robert S. Lancaster
Founder and Webmaster,
www.StopSylvia.com

Here is the original email:

Dear Robert,


my name is [name], I am working as a journalist in Paris, France, for TV. I am currently preparing a documentary about astrology and psychics in France and the USA.

The interest for this topic is very big in France since astrologers and psychics have become extremely popular the last five years.

The aim of my film is to analyze this phenomenon. It will be aired on the channel [channel] on the show called [show] which attracts every week up to 25% of the French audience. [link to show site]

During my research on the Internet, I came across the Sylvia Browne case and your organization.

I would love to learn more about your activity. Is there any recent development, are you still active? What were you able to achieve?

The best would be if we could talk about all this over the phone.

I would very much appreciate your help since it is quite difficult to get a clear idea being far away even if you spend much time on the internet just as I do.

If you have some time for me, please give me a telephone number, a day and time convenient for you to talk.


With many thanks in advance and best wishes,

[name]
[phone number]

 

[Flo]

Here is the original email:

The aim of my film is to analyze this phenomenon. It will be aired on the channel [channel] on the show called [show] which attracts every week up to 25% of the French audience. [link to show site]

Just a note of warning. If it is M6, W9 (same group), or Direct8, beware. They tend to run incredibly complacent shows about the paranormal. Direct 8, an offshot of "better" channel TF1, is the worst culprit, peddling worthless shows with titles like "should one believe X", that give no or very little time to skeptical analysis.

ETA: Direct 8 is being bought by Canal+, but there's no sign the programs will change or improve.

Canal+ documentaries can be quite good, as are those from France 2 (Envoyé Spécial is usually very good) and France 5 (lots of good sciences shows).

 

[Minarvia]

Back again after much more RL stuff, and here I see that Stop Sylvia has interested the French? Cool! Well, hopefully it is!

You brought up and thought of the most important things, Robert. I had never heard of "do-over" interviews but always hoped that they would be allowed as a first run or two can indeed not come out well.

Did/does this make you nervous? Excited? I see that Flo brought out a good point about the network in question. That is a good point and will tell you what sort of programming angle to expect. Still, the fact that your site continues to be out there for people and is presented in such a way as to show how balanced it is despite the subject matter shows its effectiveness.

I hope I phrased all this well enough to make sense. You really don't have to answer all my questions as I know you are short on time. Still, these threads of yours interest and excite me and keep the hope alive in me that that more and more people will question what used to be taken for granted almost; ie, that "psychics" are real, you just have to find the "real" ones. At least that was my experience growing up. TV programs were filled with "How do these abilities manifest" and "Where do they come from?" and not really questioning if there were genuine to begin with.

 

[RSLancastr]

Back again after much more RL stuff, and here I see that Stop Sylvia has interested the French? Cool! Well, hopefully it is!

much more me stuff?

You brought up and thought of the most important things, Robert. I had never heard of "do-over" interviews but always hoped that they would be allowed as a first run or two can indeed not come out well.

I had not heard of them before this thread, and am glad I know of them now!

Did/does this make you nervous? Excited?

Both! Nervous because it has been a while. Excited because it shows me - again - that the site is still doing its job. And excited because, if the site gets mentioned in the piece, it would get exposed to a large group of people.

I see that Flo brought out a good point about the network in question. That is a good point and will tell you what sort of programming angle to expect. Still, the fact that your site continues to be out there for people and is presented in such a way as to show how balanced it is despite the subject matter shows its effectiveness.

Well, Flo brought out points about several networks. I have PM'd her asking about the specific network and program in question.

I hope I phrased all this well enough to make sense. You really don't have to answer all my questions as I know you are short on time. Still, these threads of yours interest and excite me and keep the hope alive in me that that more and more people will question what used to be taken for granted almost; ie, that "psychics" are real, you just have to find the "real" ones. At least that was my experience growing up. TV programs were filled with "How do these abilities manifest" and "Where do they come from?" and not really questioning if there were genuine to begin with.

Yes, I think that progress is being made in that respect, and I am glad/proud for whatever role my site and I have played in that.

And your post made perfect sense - thanks!

 

[Questioninggeller]

I received an email at SSB today with the subject "French journalist needs help".

I will not quote the email here, as it contains details I'd rather not be made public at this time.

It was from a French journalist who is creating a TV documentary about astrology and psychics (two subjects the journalist says are wildly popular in France in the past five years). He/She ran across what he/she referred to as "the Sylvia Browne case" while doing research for the documentary, and following up on Browne led him/her to my site. He/She wants to do a phone interview with me about Browne to help prepare for the documentary.

This will be my first interview in some time, so I need to really collect my thoughts to be "on my game" for this.

I just thought you all might be interested.

Sounds like it'll be very interesting. Congrats, Robert!

 

[Spindrift]

Not to be a pessimist but have you researched this to insure it's legit?

Given that what you do on SSB and that some people might like to embarrass you, I'd be sure before proceeding.

 

[RSLancastr]

Spindrift, the possibility that it could be non-legit did occur to me, thanks. And that is all I wish to say about it at this point.

 

[wardenclyffe]

It has come to my attention that this same French journalist has approached many prominent skeptics with the same request. The journalist's name is Barbara Necek if anyone wants to do a little research.

Ward

 

[RSLancastr]

It has come to my attention that this same French journalist has approached many prominent skeptics with the same request. The journalist's name is Barbara Necek if anyone wants to do a little research.

Ward

That is indeed the name that was on the email I received.

I Googled it and came up with nothing that set off any alarm bells for me.

Might I ask how this "came to your attention", and what, if anything, you have heard?

 

[RSLancastr]

The unusual last name (Nacek) set off my "might be an anagram" detector, but running "BARBARANACEK" through some online anagram solvers yielded nothing. "Bar a Banacek", perhaps?