The terrible INTERNET cult.

[Stewart Fist]

As you'd expect, the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday ran on their front
page a headline over the deaths of those Heaven's Gate people the obvious:
It was an "Internet Cult".  In the story they stated that it recruited over
the Internet.

The fact that it also recruited by mail, by person-to-person contact, and
by the extensive use of videotapes was not worthy of comment.

The fact that the cult was based on astronomy (comet visit), astrology,
heaven-based religions, science fiction, and Star Trek fanatasies, seems to
have escaped their attention also.

I think this is the sort of rather trivial thing we should pay attention
to.  I think those of us in NSW, should write immediately to the SMH and
say "bullshit".  Why didn't you call it a 'Sci-fi cult' or a 'video-cult'.

Tell them that they cheapen journalism when they engage in this crap.  it's
a good time to start hitting on this stuff in Letters to Editor pages.



Stewart Fist
Technical writer and journalist.
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