PO
Allmänhetens Pressombudsman
Dnr 208/06
(to) Christopher C. Warren
In a report to PO you have made a complaint about an article in Nya Wermlands-Tidningen, published on the 10th June 2006, about NCCG's congregation in Glava. To summarise you adduced that the publication described the movement misleadingly. Amongst other things it was wrong to use the term sect.
The Publication
The article had the heading GLAVA: Fights against satanists and demons. An international sect is governed from here. In the preamble it said that members of this international sect with its headquarter in Glava is recruited over the internet. It fought against satanists and demons. And by some it was viewed as destructive and dangerous.
In the text of the article it said that Christopher Warren goverened the sect New Covenant Church of God in Hillringsberg school in Glava outside of Arvika. NCCG had been put to question by Mary Alice Crapo who for many years had been working against sects. She had also written a book about deprogramming. Mary Alice Crapo meant that NCCG was a sect: destructive, dangerous and isolated. She herself had tried to deprogram a member a few months ago. Further a parent of a young woman who had got into contact with the sect meant that the daughter had got her personality changed.
At the same time a comment with the heading Warren retorts to the criticism was published. In the preamble it said that NCCG on its swedish homepage described itself as a small congregation with a big heart. The leader Christopher Warren gave in a letter to NWT his view of the movement. He questioned based on reasons described in more detail the newspaper's source for the criticism.
PO's judgement
Common interest motivated an investigation into the movement's activity. It was said that the criticism against the movement was by Mary Alice Crapo who viewed it as a sect. You were simultaneously given a chance to state your view of the movement and even questioned the newspaper's source for the criticism.
The publication does not give cause to direct complaint about the press ethical procedure of Nya Wermlands-Tidningen. I therefore have to inform that the complaint does not lead to any further measure from my side.
Stockholm 4th July 2006
Kersti Söderberg
Allmänhetens bitr pressombudsman