Through The Camera Lens
8 November 2017
By: Zach Schultz
The Rajneesh movement did not have a very good relationship with the media. Like many religious movements, the Rajneesh were portrayed very poorly with many different forms of media. They were looked at through a negative light. Many people thought they were doing illegal or awful things just because of the stories they were seeing in the media. The media was able to scare people away from trying to understand the movement rather than to open up their minds and give their beliefs a chance.
Media infected the local towns people so much that they began to make clothing and necklaces with catch phrases like "Nuke The Guru". They also had bumper stickers that were being distributed around town in order to try to scare the commune away. The media was doing everything in their power to create opposition to the movement. They did not want the Rajneesh anywhere near the state of Oregon. The media was constantly doing hit pieces on other movements around the country so of course with all the fear mongering going on it was bond to effect local peoples outlook.
One battle that involved the media was happening before the commune was even built. It was very difficult for the commune to even construct their building because the town was not going to grant them access to their proper permits needed. While this was going on, there were vandalisms and attacks going on at the location of where the Rajneesh members were staying. The media used these instances to suggest that the movement was going to cause extreme problems for the town. The media wasn't even using reliable sources of information when they would create articles or news videos.
When I was searching for reliable sources I came across many unique articles suggesting that the media during the time of many movements were damaging and incited fear. The article I chose did the best job of illustrating that point. It was able to poke many holes in the way the media portrayed all different movements.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jan/11/india.biography
By: Zach Schultz
The Rajneesh movement did not have a very good relationship with the media. Like many religious movements, the Rajneesh were portrayed very poorly with many different forms of media. They were looked at through a negative light. Many people thought they were doing illegal or awful things just because of the stories they were seeing in the media. The media was able to scare people away from trying to understand the movement rather than to open up their minds and give their beliefs a chance.
Media infected the local towns people so much that they began to make clothing and necklaces with catch phrases like "Nuke The Guru". They also had bumper stickers that were being distributed around town in order to try to scare the commune away. The media was doing everything in their power to create opposition to the movement. They did not want the Rajneesh anywhere near the state of Oregon. The media was constantly doing hit pieces on other movements around the country so of course with all the fear mongering going on it was bond to effect local peoples outlook.
One battle that involved the media was happening before the commune was even built. It was very difficult for the commune to even construct their building because the town was not going to grant them access to their proper permits needed. While this was going on, there were vandalisms and attacks going on at the location of where the Rajneesh members were staying. The media used these instances to suggest that the movement was going to cause extreme problems for the town. The media wasn't even using reliable sources of information when they would create articles or news videos.
When I was searching for reliable sources I came across many unique articles suggesting that the media during the time of many movements were damaging and incited fear. The article I chose did the best job of illustrating that point. It was able to poke many holes in the way the media portrayed all different movements.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jan/11/india.biography
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