Scientology Reaching Out To Support Journalists Everywhere
Page Six reports (why don't we get these juicy press releases?) that the Church of Scientology was a little worried about an expose in Glamour, that legendarily hard-hitting publisher of celebrity-religion journalism, dispatching two of its Media Ministers to run interference:
An insider at Glamour said, "The story is about a woman who grew up in the church and literally fled to the country to escape her husband, mother and the Scientologists she lived with. During our fact-checking, we called the L.A. headquarters and several hours later two Scientologists showed up at Conde Nast and had security call the editor of the story to tell her she had visitors. In our offices, they demanded to see the story but we declined, noting we don't release stories until they are on stands. They showed up twice more that week with DVD's and books about Scientology and then finally with their comments. During the last visit, the Scientologists saw the latest issue of Glamour with Nicole Kidman on the cover with the tagline tease, 'Nicole opens up about Tom,' and demanded copies."
It's nice to see that Scientology is employing more hands-on journalist-massaging tactics (sitting in a white van outside and glowering at people was so 1987); we suspect that all of those freebie Battlefield Earth DVDs and remaindered copies of Dianetics are proving quite useful to the reporting process, making fine coasters and propping up maddeningly uneven desks all over Conde Nast.
Hey, what's that white van doing outside Defamer HQ? Hi, guys!