Coverage of Tulsa Witches' Ball

[~Elise~]

*sigh* I tried to make a difference at Pagan Pride Day.

It didn't work--take a look at the coverage Channel 2 gave last night regarding the Witches' Ball that was held Sat. night.

What will it take for us all to just get along? I've done a documentary in the past that covered different spiritual leaders here in Tulsa. There was a Jewish Cantor, a Catholic Priest, myself, Pagan Priestess and one other person, as well. (there is a joke in there somewhere) Things were awesome in that documentary. It showed not only our differences, but also our similarities in what we experienced.

If you do write a letter--be polite and calm. I will post my letter to them and response in the next post.


Elise

http://2worksforyou.com/video/archive.shtml

You'll need real player.

The Witches Ball segment is at 12minutes 14 seconds into the news.

[~Elise~]

Here is the email I sent to the News Director and General Manager:

I am writing to express my displeasure in your coverage of the 2nd Annual Witches’ Ball last night. I feel it was biased and very slanted.



Paganism is the fastest growing religion, even quicker than Islam, according to the census. When you covered the Shalom Fest, you didn’t get a Baptist minister POV on things. Why would you do so with this coverage? Witchcraft is a PROTECTED, AND VALID, religion under the first and fourteenth amendments.



KOTV didn’t feel that need when they covered an event several years ago. KTUL gave two viewpoints on Harry Potter when that came out without making the piece seemed biased.

Wicca is not a cult. It is tax exempt, practiced on military bases, and acknowledged by officials and spiritual leaders alike as a positive path.

In Wicca, the core concept is known as The Wiccan Rede. In its shortest, most simplified form, the Rede states, "And it harm none, do what thou wilt." Meaning that the Wiccan strives above all else, to do no harm. While this sounds like a very simple code, looking more closely one might realize that it is truly extremely complex. Wiccans become adept at weighing every decision in their lives against the Rede. Will their actions cause harm? To other people, to themselves, to their friends, relatives, enemies? The planet? An animal? The Universe?

There is no "devil" or "satan" in Wiccan belief. The system teaches that while all religions are equally valid and sacred, they do resent those who call them Satanists. They are not. The Wiccans for the most part, believe that all the Gods are one God. In many forms, and see Jesus as equally valid as Buddha, or Isis. God has many faces in this path. Female faces as well as male. This is why so many women are drawn to the Craft.

Wiccans believe in the connection between themselves and everything in nature. They believe that life, like nature, is cyclical, and that death is an illusion. Just as the planet becomes barren in winter, and seems to come back to life in spring, so must we. Wiccans believe in reincarnation. They respect each cycle of life, from birth, to youth, to adulthood, to parenthood, to elder, to crone, to the slumber of death in between lives, to rebirth. To remind ourselves constantly of the cycles of life and nature, we celebrate the cycles we find in nature. The phases of the moon, and wheel of the year.


I feel an apology, on-air, is warranted given the slant of the coverage.

[~Elise~]

Here is his response--which by the way he sent to everyone so far who has written:

Ms. Coleman,

Thanks for taking the time to write us with your concern regarding our coverage of the 2nd Annual Witches' Ball in Tulsa. I'm sorry you think we were biased in our reporting. As you know we presented two viewpoints regarding the event, a Wiccan minister and a Baptist minister. Because Paganism is a fast growing religion we felt it important to get the views of someone from one of Tulsa's mainstream religious community. I'm sorry you don't think our coverage was thoughtful, we even protected the identity of the people who attended the event by not showing their faces as requested.

Bill Seitzler - KJRH News Director

[~Elise~]

Here is my answer back to him--with NO response back, as of yet:

Mr. Seitzler,

Thank you for your answer in such a timely manner. I’m still not sure why you felt it was necessary to present such a negative view from the ‘mainstream religious community’. I would have thought you would have talked to someone with the Interfaith Alliance instead. Presenting our spirituality as ‘leading someone wrongly’ is not very thoughtful, in my opinion.

Pagans tend to think for themselves, they do not need someone to tell them how and what to believe. We interact with Deity on a one-on-one basis—no intermediary is needed. No act of confession is needed—forgiveness is not dispensed like Pez candy. Forgiveness and atonement are between yourself and Deity. We are responsible for what we say, what we do and what we think. If you truly think about that, it is not such an easy thing to accept responsibility for, is it? Not everyone is up to that challenge or wants that level of responsibility over their own life.

So yes, I take it a bit personally when told Pagans are looking in the ‘wrong direction’. I still feel you had a biased slant to the story even with your explanation. HOWEVER, I do thank you for taking the consideration of not showing faces. Unfortunately, and it is VERY sad state of affairs, there are some of us who can NOT be open with their practices. It’s a darn shame that someone can wear a cross or Star of David openly, but a pentacle can not be worn without repercussions. People should not have to worry about losing their job, losing their children or being denied housing based on their religious preference. BUT that still happens here in America and I’m sorry to say, right here in Tulsa.

Again, thank you for your time,

Elise Coleman

[MoonDust]

I think your letters were well thought out and you managed to get you point accross. Though I don't know if it got through. There are so many out there that refuse to see anything other that what they think to be true.
It's a good thing you did the writing and not I. I tend to get a little hot under the collar and not see clearly.

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

Elise,

I am terribly sorry that your local media is giving you such a difficult time. I couldn't get the file to open, it's probably some setting Patrick will have to fix. Once I am able to look into it, I will be emailing the station manager as well.

I, for one, am very proud of the way you handled things both on the day of the event and now with this. I know that people such as yourself are the reason that (ever so slowly) Paganism/Wicca is more in the public eye...and will one day be accepted.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[~Elise~]

Thanks, guys. I think the word needs to get out. And if the station gets a plethora of responses maybe they'll think twice before doing something like this again.

Elise

[~Elise~]

The following letter was written by someone else in the community and has been submitted to Witchvox and a couple of other places:

Equality for all?

I am writing this for a specific reason. I, and the community I belong to, feel as though our religions, those that fall under the neo-pagan and Heathen banners, have been portrayed in a condescending light by a local Television Station. That station is KJRH, Channel 2, in Tulsa, OK.

October 16, 2004 marked Tulsa's second annual Witches' Ball. It was sponsored by Spiritwheel Interfaith Community from Claremore, OK. The Ball was a rebounding success. The only mar is that KJRH's reporter Pete Thompson, called Rev. Debbie Addington, Correllian Priestess and leader of Spiritwheel, and asked permission to come out that night and speak with her. She was assured that the story would be positive. Let me stress that when she gave permission for the reporter to come to the Ball it was in the best of faith and she would have never done so if she had not been misled by the reporter.

The Ball came and went and the Reporter and camera man filmed a few clips and received an on camera interview from Rev. Addington. We were all informed that the footage would air the next night on both the 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm news coverage. It was to our great shock when it did air that it was immediately cast into doubt with the phrase "they say they are simply exercising their freedom of religion but not everyone sees this as healthy self-expression". The full newscast can be found at http://2worksforyou.com/ramhold/permanent/17-10pm.ram and the story on the Witches' Ball is 12 minutes and 14 seconds into the program. You will need Real Player to view the newscast. Please note this clip will only be in their archives for two weeks.

None of us were expecting glowing reports but we were told that this would be an unbiased story. Instead there was an interview with a Baptist Pastor that said we were misleading others from the "only one who can meet that need [The Christian God and/or Jesus]". That would not only invalidate Paganism, but Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American Traditional beliefs, and all others that do not believe in the Christian God and/or Jesus. The true irony of this was that on the 5:00 pm broadcast they had a story about Shalom fest that happened that same day and there was no opposing religious view that was interviewed to [in]validate it.

Many from our local community have written to the News Director, Bill Seitzler seitzler@kjrh.com and the General Manager, Michael Kronley kronley@kjrh.com and relayed our concerns. We have all been sent a standard form letter telling us that they feel the interview was very fair and unbiased. What I am asking is that those of you who watch this newscast and feel as though we are being treated as second class citizens to email, phone, or write this station and calmly but passionately let them know how many of us there are and that we demand the same rights that all others have, that our religions do not need to be qualified by other mainstream religions, and that we feel the Station should air another story on what Wicca/Paganism/Heathen Beliefs actually are and that it should be unbiased this time. Additional contact information is as follows:

KJRH, Channel 2 News
Phone number: (918) 743-2222
Physical address: 3701 South Peoria, Tulsa
Mailing address: P.O. Box 2, Tulsa, OK 74101-0002

Perhaps they can brush away 100 of us and not listen to our concerns, but multiply that number 100 more or a 1,000 and everything appears in a different light. If you need any further information please contact me at the address below.


Blessings,
Salem
salem@okpagan.com