Cults in the Media

In the previous post, we discussed the anti-cult movement and several variations of it that target specific types of cults. We briefly touched on the topic of the media and how they both portray and attempt to peel away the veneer of cults, so that people have a better understanding of how they work. This week, we’re taking a deeper dive into media coverage of cults, and how big of a role the media can play in a cult’s downfall.

Media is arguably the most powerful tool of the twenty-first century (aside from technology). It shapes the way we view the world, and our perceptions of particular topics, people and events are heavily influenced by what we read and watch, and where we are getting that information from. Just think about how the media has been reporting about the COVID-19 Pandemic over the last year, and how differing opinions about the virus and the measures being taken to mitigate its spread are influenced by where people are receiving their news from.

There is always bias in media. It is extremely difficult for members of the media to report on topics without their perspective coming through, especially on social media. Additionally, companies are keenly aware of their audience and want to make as much money from advertising as possible, so they broadcast what people want to see. However, scholars have argue that taking a neutral approach to reporting in the media is critical because “when pejorative terms displace neutral terms in the text of a news article, emotional reaction by the reading public may displace rational, dispassionate consideration of specific fact and logical inference and thus subvert the informational and deliberative purposes which are supposed to be served by news coverage” (Hill, Hickman & McLendon, 2001, p. 25).

Cults are frequently portrayed in the media, often in a sensational manner. On Netflix, a series called Waco documents the rise of David Koresh, the eventual leader of the Branch Davidians, as well as the conflict between the group and the FBI in 1993. The series received criticism for its sympathetic portrayal of Koresh, who is widely held responsible for the events that killed several members of his organization during the Waco siege. This year, another documentary titled Wild Wild Country (also on Netflix) is earning a lot of buzz for its depiction and analysis of the Rajneeshee Movement in Oregon during the 1980s and the societal response to their presence in the town. Currently, there is a docuseries airing on HBO titled Q: Into the Storm which focuses on the political conspiracy theory cult Q-Anon and its followers.

Cults have also made their way onto the big screen in recent years. In 2019, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released in theatres, which prominently features members of the Manson Family (including Charles himself in a brief scene) as they are about to commit the Sharon Tate murder. Also in 2019, Midsommar, was released in theatres and centered on a group of frienfs that travel to Sweden and find themselves drawn into a cult that draws a lot of parallels to Pagan beliefs. Even though this movie is fictional and isn’t based on a real cult, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to believe that cults like the one depicted in the movie exist.

Almost exclusively, cults are portrayed negatively in the media. Mainstream television and movies are often unsympathetic to cults and their leaders, yet take a sympathetic approach when discussing victims of cults, often invoking phrases like “coercion” and “brainwashing.” Thus, some elements of the media can be considered to be part of the anti-cult movement, which we discussed in the previous blog post. There is no doubt that the ACM benefits greatly from the disparaging view of cults that media makes readily available to its viewers.

Some scholars suggest that this biased view of cults goes hand-in-hand with the lack of religious literacy amongst most journalists (Wright, 1997, p. 104). Indeed, cults are frequently the target of investigative journalism. Over the last few years, NXIVM has been the dominant organization in the media. Countless stories have been released about this organization, and media coverage of Keith Raniere’s arrest, trial and conviction was widespread and unflinching. Due to the fact that cults themselves are so sensational, the tendency in society to gravitate towards media that discusses or portrays cults in a dramatic way makes sense – we’re drawn to things that are eye-catching and attention-grabbing.

However, it’s important to discern what is real and what is fictional when taking a closer look at cults. This is especially true in the political world, where political cults can form around an individual or an ideology, and have massively destructive consequences. We’ll discuss political cults in the next post!

Cheers!

References:

Hill, Harvey; Hickman, John & McLendon, Joel. “Cults and Sects and Doomsday Groups, Oh My: Media Treatment of Religion on the Eve of the Millennium.” Review of Religious Research 43:1. 2001.

Wright, Stuart A. “Media Coverage of Unconventional Religion: Any ‘Good News’ for Minority Faiths?” Review of Religious Research 39:2. 1997.