You’ve probably already seen this incredible exposé of the Church of Scientology and leader David Miscavige, courtesy of Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin of the St. Petersburg Times. The entire three-part series is now available online.
If it’s the beginning of the end for Scientology, fantastic, but I don’t know how much of an effect these articles will have.
Still, I am pleasantly surprised that a newspaper bankrolled this type of report. Normally, I would’ve expected this kind of piece to run in a magazine. If newspapers supported this kind of reporting more often, no doubt they would become more relevant and thus be more likely to get out of the dire straits they’re in right now.
Charles McAlpin, the Portland Skepticism Examiner, said this in an email:
I used to volunteer with cult awareness, and I can tell you that these people were huge names in Scientology. A public statement against Scientology by any one of the four would be earth-shattering news, and the four of them together have to have that organization shaken to its core.
He adds in his post that this sort of article would not even have been possible a decade ago because the Scientologist leaders would have bullied or harassed the reporters into silence.
(Thanks to Charlie and Brian for the link!)