Channel 3 NBC news affiliate WSAV serving the Savannah, GA and Hilton Head, SC areas did what most news channels do come the Halloween season. They allow a “human interest” reporter to find a witch and do an interview for a brief filler of Halloween news. Now, granted as the years have passed there have been some good, if not shallow reporting and interviews with witches but on the general scale the people they chose to interview are local New Age shop owners who are not well informed on the history of their individual paths. When a reporter does come across a well informed and astute witch the norm is to cut the piece for tidbits on what the reporter thinks their news audience will accept in the way of actual information.
In this case the reporter, Alice Massimi interviewed a local Wiccan Regina Metzger and entitled the news story: Modern Day Witch. Metzger, who is the owner of the Southern Hemisphere Books store gave an interview to Massimi that just served to add to the misinformation in our society about both Wicca and Witchcraft. The interview was short and quite lacking in any actual real information at all. So lacking and misinformed that I felt the need to write about it here at Simple Abnormality. Normally, I read and or watch something like this then proceed with rolling my eyes and move on with my day. This particular piece Modern Day Witch, elicited a different reaction from me and that places me here at the keyboard.
Here’s the comment in the news story that got me to shake my head in awe of unbelievability this morning: “Wicca or Witchcraft is the religion it has been around over 4000 years, “ explained Metzger.
Honestly, as if calling the holiday by the Christian name was not bad enough but this woman owns a bookstore. One would have thought that she would have read some of the merchandise she sells in order to make a living. Granted, there are a lot of people who pick up one book on Wicca and then run with it, without actually taking the time to study the actual history of their chosen path beyond some neat little spell that they tried out. Being lazy about research for your own beliefs does not excuse spreading misinformation to the general populace. If you are going to be interviewed on your beliefs then stick to your own beliefs and do not make general statements for the whole of a religious group when you do not even understand where the basis of what you are doing comes from.
On the other side of the coin, with the reporter Alice Massimi one would think that at some point a news reporter would actually do their job and research the information that they are presenting to the general populace. If you do not understand the subject matter on which you are reporting then research it, learn it a bit and find out what it is that you are supposed to be talking about and informing other people of before you try to look cute doing a “human interest” story that is not actually news.
The statement made by Metzger and reported on by Massimi, is not just bad journalism but it is irresponsible. Adding to Metzger’s pool of misinformation is an advertising blurb at the end of the piece stating that if anyone wants to learn more about Wicca they can take a Wicca 101 class at Metzger’s bookstore.
Sadly, that book store is the only Pagan orientated one in that area.