Church of Scientology – Media Protection PR Case Study

Client Objective

• Work closely with solicitors to remove unfounded allegations from the Panorama documentary
• Turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one
• Address any allegations made in the Panorama programme.
• Present a positive picture of The Church of Scientology highlighting all the good work they do such as helping people beat their drug addictions.

Strategy and Implementation

• Discover what media interviews John Sweeney would undertake to promote his latest Panorama documentary
• Select British voices to represent the Church of Scientology in the media so that the public can relate to the case study
• Work closely with solicitors to remove unfounded allegations from the Panorama documentary.
• Highlight all the good work The Church of Scientology does in the UK and around the world.

Results

• Unsubstantiated footage was removed from the documentary
• Drew on contacts to find out what Sweeney’s promotional activity would involve and counteracted with interviews with two British case studies
• Found a London based painter and decorator and father of two who had been a member of the Church of Scientology for 30 years. He was interviewed on BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Radio Stoke and Talk Radio Europe
• Identified a 16 year old girl who has been a Scientologist all her life. She appeared on Channel 4’s 4.thought programme that looks at young people’s views on religion.
• Resulted in more people joining the Church of Scientology and a dramatic surge in visits to the website.
• Successfully highlighted the good work the Church does in communities.