The Words of the Tallakson Family

Directions About Handling A Media Or Orthodox

Jeff Tallakson
June 20, 2005

Hello brothers and sisters,

I'm sending out this note sent around originally by a brother, friend of mine, Jeff Tallakson. He lives in St Petersburg, Russia. Has been a missionary there for a long time, many years. I'm sending it out with his permission. It's about how to deal with TV crew, and media. It's a reminder, and handy.

Nick


Dear leaders

This is some directions about how to handle a media or orthodox attack. since we never know when this will happen, then I ask you to read this and be prepared and make it part of your guidance to members, if it is appropriate. This essay has some practical points to handle the media in general, even if it is not persecution. I know you all know these things already. This is a reminder.

Recently I received this report <serious. Just a handful of Orthodox with a couple of anti-Moonie posters. They did a TV campaign though, and the missionary's name appeared in the news, too. TV says that UC is planning for summer recruiting campaign therefore orthodox did this action.

When this happens, write up a detailed report and send to me and to Kostya Krylov. You should have a educate members about how to handle this kind of incident, how to handle hateful people and how to handle journalists. to members and repeat it every 4 months. When they attack a Sunday Service, or WFWP meeting, or workshop, you need to disappear. Have no give and take action with journalists.

If people suddenly appear in your meeting, Sunday Service or other kind, with cameras and protests, then you should calmly whisper to people to quietly leave and not get into any conversations with attackers. Especially not any antagonistic give and take. Whisper to members to leave and come back later, or leave and reassemble in an apartment -- some strategy like that. People just leave the place and reassemble; meet at private homes. Whisper secret directions to each other. Use cell phones.

Another danger is the guest who acts suspicious. acts insincere, like a spy. Do not easily invite him back if you cannot trust him and he is not sincere. especially if they refuse to give their name. that is a sign that you do not need to invite the person back or even keep teaching him.

Never let the TV nice smiling sympathetic journalists convince you they only want to take nice pictures of people praying. People praying on TV always look dumb, or are made by the TV to look dumb.

Educate your members to not yell back at the yelling demonstrators. Not to fight. Make them understand that that is exactly what the goal of the demonstration is -- that is what camera-men from two TV stations come for. Their purpose is to have film of our members acting crazy. In order to get us to act crazy, because we normally do not act crazy, they have to act crazy first. They intended to provoke us to act crazy. Then they film that and show that on TV. Our members should understand Communist-Orthodox-Fascist hate-selling tactics. Our solution is to simply and peacefully have no give and take action, neither with their hate, nor with their craziness. Just leave. Come back after the demonstrators leave. They stage a conflict and we refuse to attend. We refuse to play their game. We refuse to sink to their low level.

The leader may assign a mature member, or himself, to speak reasonably with the journalist, as a public relations representative of your group. but be careful what you say. if you are not sure you can always say, "I do not know." and "You should talk to our public relations department about that. they are in Moscow."

Tell all members they should never say anything directly to the television but always tell any journalist to meet the church public relations spokes-person, (leader's name) or Kostya Krylov. Even then, I am not sure you should say anything to them. They are not sincere. I think if they came to me I would just lecture them on what a real journalist is. I would tell them to go to the university and talk to the experts on religion. They won't show that on TV. Speak to their original mind and reasonable sense, but give them nothing they can twist against us. They will create hate-propaganda anyway, either with or without our cooperation.

In the resent case there was a prior announcement of their demonstration organized against us on a bulletin board/news board on the internet. You should watch that board each week and see what they are doing.

It is interesting. That Sunday I was sitting in our Sunday Service in St. Petersburg and I was imagining that the camera men were coming into our service and I was day dreaming about how I would handle it when they came. at the same time his was happening in another city. I guess we are all connected on the spiritual matrix.

Stay connected to God and his Will that never gives up until Choen-il Guk is in each of our nations and cities.

Every good prayer and wish follows along. Jeff Tallakson

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