Celebrity Feuds
BBC and Scientology Take Their Tiff Online

Click to play!The BBC and the Church of Scientology are feuding over a scheduled TV special -- and their battle has spilled onto the web.

The latest assault comes from Scientology, famous for celebrity members like John Travolta and Tom Cruise. A video of BBC reporter John Sweeney losing his cool while talking with Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis hit the net over the weekend. Sweeney is speaking to Davis in a calm, normal tone when he suddenly starts SCREAMING at the top of his lungs! Quite random.

Sweeney, who has been working for months on a BBC special scheduled to air tonight, had been in a previous tiff with Davis. When Sweeney began a Davis interview with the line, "Some people say it's a sinister cult," Davis took umbrage -- and who can blame him? -- but at least he did so without screaming!

"If you are interested in becoming a TV journalist, it is a fine example of how not to do it," Sweeney said on the BBC website. "I look like an exploding tomato and shout like a jet engine and every time I see it, it makes me cringe." Well said, John.



Tags: bbc, scientology

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(Page 6 of 6) Previous 15 Comments

76. "A little politeness goes a long way...."
Oh, please. After blatant stalking, intimidation, and pushing yourself threateningly into the reporter's space is the absolute height of bad, no, sinister manners. Pot, meet kettle. The reporters objective was to do a piece on the organization. They gave him NOTHING, even when he was still asking perfectly reasonable questions. Give him a proper answer and he'd have been on his way. You'd think he'd infiltrated the CIA with ill intent with the paranoia they displayed, and on camera. Unbelievable, really. Anyone with eyes could see how suspicious and uncalled for their actions continued to be. They acted like a bunch of goons with something to hide. Don't drink the Kool-aid, kiddies.

Posted at 2:27AM on May 18th 2007 by EqualTime

77. I live near the Celeb Center in H'wood. I used to know a "preclear" He told me after he was rescued, how he was drugged, and molested by elders in the "church" I would often see young boys being brought in thru the back entrance. They are huge child molesters! Scientology, aside from being Satanists, are also led by extremist homosexuals. Tom Cruise is neither straight nor potent!!!! He is not able to have kids! Everyone knows this. "Suri" is not Toms kid. I have this on good authority...

s

Posted at 4:05PM on May 21st 2007 by SS

78. Sweeney was justified in his rant. I just watched the video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwTDvfjcUJU and it is clear to me that Scientology is a scam, orchestrated by the man Sweeney is screaming at in the video. They harassed Sweeney, followed him around, stalked him at his hotel (completely uninvited), and even interfered when we was trying to conduct interviews with non-Scientologists. They obviously don't want to hear anyone else's point-of-view and don't want anyone to criticize them. They hide behind Freedom of Religion but don't want anyone else to practice Freedom of Speech. Bravo to Sweeney and the BBC for their honesty and dignity.

Posted at 1:11PM on Aug 7th 2007 by Jen

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