‘Crass’ story a winner

Press, 26 August 1987, Page 1

‘Crass’ story a winner

A front page report of a selfproclaimed psychic’s prediction that Louisa Damodran’s body would be found, “on a beach” has earned the “New Zealand Truth” an award for gullibility from the country’s Skeptics. The weekly newspaper will receive the lpB7 Bent Spoon Award by the New Zealand Committee for the Scientific Investigation 'of Claims of the Paranormal, Which will meet in Wellington this week-end. The association’s chairman, Dr Denis Dutton of Christchurch, said the prediction was made at a .time when it was widely understood that the six-year-old girl had been thrown into the Waimakariri River near its moiith.

“We are not impressed by the

perceptiveness of the prediction,” said Dr Dutton, a lecturer in fine arts at the University of Canterbury. “In fact, ‘Truth’s’ report of this so-called psychic vision strikes us as crass exploitation of a tragic event. “As a demonstration of psychic abilities it’s pretty feeble. As journalism, it’s disgusting.” The article also contained an assertion from the same “psychic” that Louisa’s killer would turn out to be someone already known to her or her family. “This was of course false, and under the circumstances the claim had the potential for creating mischief. “We think ‘Truth’ should aim less for psychic scoops and more for the responsible, criti-

eal news reporting of which we know it is capable,” Dr Dutton said.

“Truth” was also criticised by the Skeptics for “a credulous report on a faith healer who claims successfully to have treated A.1.D5.” His only apparent cure was lost track of when the patient moved to Scotland. “This story, headlined ‘Miracle Cure* has all the symptoms of being just another cruel false hope about a cure for A.1.D.5.,” said Dr Dutton.

Runners-up for gullibility, said the Skeptics’ announcement, were “The New Zealand Woman’s Weekly” for an article on iridology, and Television New Zealand for a “Credo” programme which featured an Auckland medium who pro-

fessed to receive messages from outer space. The programme was “laughably earnest” and reduced the Skeptics to uncontrolled giggling, Dr Dutton said. The association made four awards for journalistic excellence. One went to Howard Warner of the Wellington newspaper, “The Evening Post,” for an article on advice from a tarot card reader.

The other three arose from the visit to New Zealand by a British spiritualist medium, Mr James Byrne. One went to Sue Kedgley of “The Dominion,” one to Michael Fallow of the “Southland Times,” and the other to Tina-Marie Nixon for a very aggressive interview with Mr Byrne on Radio Otago.