ABC News to mirror St. Petersburg Times Scientology investigation on Nightline

St. Petersburg Times reporter Tom Tobin was expected to appear Thursday night in the first of two nights of reports on the Church of Scientology scheduled to air on ABC's late-night news magazine Nightline.

The show plans to explore much of the same ground the Times uncovered in its first three-part series on the Church published in June, The Truth Rundown, outlining tales of violence allegedly perpetrated against high-ranking church officials by leader David Miscavige.

According to  a spokeswoman for the show, Nightline on Thursday will feature interviews with at least some of the sources featured in the Times' reporting -- former high-ranking Church officials coming forward to publicly reveal controversial stories about Scientology leadership in a way never seen before. The show also features a recently-recorded interview with church spokesman Tommy Davis.

Friday's story is expected to focus on the celebrity angle of Scientology -- the church has aggressively courted celebrities such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta for decades -- showing how famous names are treated inside the group and examining how Miscavige may be influencing Cruise's behavior, according to the spokeswoman.

Nightline airs at 11:35 p.m. weeknights on ABC, WFTS-Ch. 28 locally. It is likely the Scientology stories will fill 60 percent of each night's show.

Comments

[Edna]

Two families from my former (Methodist) church in Mpls lost their sons to Scientology (I refuse to call it a church). I met one of the men when he got "permission" to lunch with visiting family friends. He was a former personality kid, now a zombie. Both boys have now somehow left, but they have been stripped of their "selves." Thanks to Tobin; I wish you could keep it coming, but I know that this story has to be carefully traced and verified. I have lived here through the whole history of Scientology in Clearwater, and it's been deceit from the beginning!

[Tom]

Try to get off Scientology's mailing list. It's nearly impossible. I get close to 10 mailings a week. I've called them several times to remove my name but they will not.

[SPWQ]

And speaking of dangerous and destructive, I would love to see a study comparing the foreclosure rates for Scientologists with that of the rest of the population…. After the names and numbers are collected, a quick glance at the tax returns of those same foreclosure victims showing how much money was recently “donated” to the church might also shine some very important light and be an interesting piece for the St Pete Times…………I work in real estate in Clearwater and the Scientologists are loosing their homes (and bilking the banks out of HUGE amounts of money) at a record pace. Start digging - THAT is all a matter of record.

[nuewswatch]

PM,
I doubt Eric Degans actually has time to read these postings.

Tobin has probably been paid off to go silent against the church. Also I really doubt all this crap will put a dent in the cult. Actually I don't care if Miscavage hits people - does what he does in Calif affect any one in Clearwater??? Hell No!

btw The military has hit and beaten espically FNG (new recruits)for years (and a lot worse than the church) as I know first hand.

Stop being cry babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Curious About Tobin]

Mr. Deggans,

I saw both Nightline shows but Tom Tobin wasn't in either of them. Do you know why?

[Lady Xenu]

I am so relieved to see the mainstream media finally giving this destructive "religion" what it deserves - the light of day - I'm practically speechless! What they have done to my family in the name of L. Ron Hubbard is absolutely criminal and heartbreaking! Thank you S.P. Times, and Nightline, thank you so very very much.

[Roberta]

Where is the link with that Tom Tobin ABC interview? I missed it...

[Alex]

They're a bunch of covert, cult whackos. Nothing more needs to be said. Germany has the right idea; Scientology is banned over there.

[Toby]

Jeez I don't like the cult but the Nightline story was simply pathetic. I can see why Tobin was smart enough and didn't go on TV. I was expecting to see something but all I saw was biased journalism, a lot of hearsay and the main complainer was Marty Rathburn who admited that he himself hit people.

And to report about the dog - who give a rat's patootie.

Is this how low and lame reporting has come.

And this is something that happened years ago - the Rathburn guy looks like he's on drugs - wut up with that???

I wasted a hour of my time that I'll never get back

[ScientologyAbuse]

I hope they are not preparing the Kool Aid.

A Scientologist with "OT" superpowers can steer a hurricane, but they can't seem to stop this tidal wave of defectors that speak out against the cult? Hopefully this will wake a few people up, before we have Jonestown 2.0, XENU style.

[King Vitalis]

Miscavige could get a good job doing a split shift in a grease pit or maybe some sort of stoop labour. His life isn't over.

[Mary McConnell]

This should be very interesting. I wonder why co-author Childs was not interviewed as well.

I also wonder if they interviewed Nancy Many, former member and former President of Scientology's Celebrity Center. I just finished reading her new book "My Billion Year Contract - Memoirs of a Former Scientologist". If they didn't they should have.

Besides her personal horror story and that of others, there's lots of details on how Scientology goes after, regulates and manipulates the celebrities for promotion purposes. Celebrities and wannabees are big money for the cult.

[Andy]

I'm skipping Scientology. Xenu just made me a better offer. Just to be clear, I like aliens hanging on my person, and I don't need Scientology to get rid of them.

[Samuel]

I'm happy this investigative reporting is getting more attention. Very well done work by The St. Petersburg Times. I read all of it, and the video interviews were fascinating as well.

[Eric Deggans]

given the controversy of this topic, I'm a little concerned about messages encouraging people to meet somewhere or containing links to outside web sites, so i have decided to delete those.

I hope to continue the discussion here in the comments section. But please try to avoid the topics I have outlined as sesitive in this message.

Thank you.

[Eric NYC]

"I smell unemployment.

Posted by: /b/ | October 21, 2009 at 10:30 PM"

I really hope that Miscaviage is not "fired." By physcially attacking his employees in wanton and patently bizarre fashion, he exposes that nature of this cult and what it seeks to do to all its members. Hopefully he will be fired only after the paddy wagon arrives to throw him behind bars.

[Eric NYC]

"Personally, I don't care if they all hang by their thumbs...but don't ask for tax exemption for this bizarre "religion""

The COS already owns a tax exemption owned by no legitimate religion. Try to deduct the cost of religious classes for any other religion and the IRS will deny you, and penalize you. Not the case if you are a member of Scientology. They extorted Goldberg, the ex head of the IRS, via over 2500 seperate lawsuits. In 1993, being teh failure that he was, Goldberg caved and entered into a secret agreement with the COS. The secret agreement was published in the Wall Street Journal, but the IRS refuses to accept or deny that it is real. American taxpayers subsidize this cult, even though taxpayers are not allowed to subsidize Catholisism, Islam, Jewdisim, or any other "ism." Thanks IRS!!! You are so fair and wise!!

[marcos]

Personally, I don't care if they all hang by their thumbs...but don't ask for tax exemption for this bizarre "religion"

[New Kid]

This organization that brain washes and intimidates
these young people, ( I don't know where they find them )
Should be exposed in the national media.

I will watch, and and hope that they will finally be exposed for what they are, nationwide, and not just in the Tampa Bay area.

[Etrigan]

I'm so pleased to see that this story is getting more attention. Next, Scientology must loose it's tax exempt status. It's ridiculous that CoS cult members can write their classes off of their taxes. This has to stop. Kudos to Tom Tobin and to the Saint Pete Times.

[KSWadmin]

Several years ago, Scientology was considered good by many. It’s core principles have always been good and are well worth saving.

In recent years, more and more people are coming forward with allegations ranging from crimes of physical and mental abuse to the complete destruction of families and lives. This is not what Scientology is about. Every true Scientologist wants to right any wrongs that have happened, do something about them, reunite families and arrest the insanity.

[Bulletinizer]

Here's "The Truth Rundown": If the SPTimes is bad mouthing Scientology again, then its recent image campaign is over and there's no more ad money to be made.

[I smell a Pulitzer for Tobin!]

Congrats, Tom. I smell a Pulitzer.

[Elron]

Just wait until I come back with my fleet of UFOs.

[toujours]

Really looking forward to seeing this! Please keep the stories coming to combat the internal cult propaganda machine which is in continual overdrive. Miscavige is harming too many people whether directly or indirectly. He needs to be brought to justice as soon as possible. Thanks again.

[Josh]

Thanks for the heads up Eric. It's great to see the media continuing to expose the fraud and danger that Scientology represents in a free society.

[Sue]

Awesome! Can't wait to hear the spew from Tommy when he tries to spin/bully Nightline. The days of this muderous cult are numbered.