Mark Bunker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mark Bunker

Mark Bunker Addresses Anonymous
Born United States
Occupation Television journalist
Website
Xenu TV

Mark Bunker is an Emmy Award-winning television journalist. He is a critic of the Church of Scientology and founder of the website Xenu TV.

Contents

[edit] Work in television

In 2006, Bunker, along with KUSI-TV reporter Lena Lewis, won a Pacific Southwest Chapter regional Emmy Award for a story on border issues in the San Diego, California area.[1][2][3][4]

[edit] Activism against the Church of Scientology

Bunker started Xenu TV in 1999 and moved to Clearwater, Florida where he produced videos for the Lisa McPherson trust.[5] Bunker's site states that it gets one million hits per month.[6]

In 2001, Mark Bunker and Jeff Jacobsen, a fellow critic of the Church of Scientology, were refused service by businesses operated by Scientologists in Clearwater.[7] Together they filed discrimination complaints with the Pinellas County Office of Human Rights.[7] The Office of Human Rights rejected their complaints, ruling that the church members had not broken any laws in denying them service.[7] Bunker, Jacobson, and other members of the Lisa McPherson Trust saw this as a sign of the escalating control the Church of Scientology held over the town.[7] Ray Arsenault, a University of South Florida professor and then acting president of the Pinellas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, also viewed the denials as acts of discrimination. "It really is a way of trying to bring pressure to stop them from exercising their First Amendment rights."[7]

[edit] Project Chanology

"Wise Beard Man" Internet meme
"Wise Beard Man" Internet meme

In 2008, Bunker posted a video to YouTube critical of the Internet-based group "Anonymous" and asked them to tone down their campaign against the Church of Scientology; a movement called "Project Chanology".[8] In the video "Message to Anonymous", Bunker urged the group to work legally and pursue peaceful ways to protest Scientology.[9]

According to NPR's Morning Edition, Bunker has "become a revered voice to many members of Anonymous",[10] and they refer to him as "Wise Beard Man".[11] Anonymous has adopted a slogan referring to Bunker: "Wise Beard Man is Wise. His words are wise, his face is beard."[9] The refrain along with a picture of Bunker has become an Internet meme on the website 4 chan.[12]

Actor Jason Beghe, Tory Christman, Mark Bunker, and Andreas Heldal-Lund (2008)
Actor Jason Beghe, Tory Christman, Mark Bunker, and Andreas Heldal-Lund (2008)

When actor Jason Beghe decided to leave Scientology in 2008, he contacted Andreas Heldal-Lund, founder of Operation Clambake, who convinced him to meet with Bunker.[13] Heldal-Lund and Bunker went to Beghe's house, where Beghe participated in an interview about his experiences as a Scientologist.[13] Bunker published a 3-minute portion of the 3-hour interview to YouTube in mid-April 2008,[14] and in the video Beghe calls Scientology "very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution".[15] He also comments "I don't have an agenda. I'm just trying to help. I have the luxury of having gotten into Scientology and after having been in it, been out. And that's a perspective that people who are still in and not out do not have."[16]

The video was taken down from YouTube on April 17, 2008 but was reposted by multiple other YouTube users shortly thereafter.[17] By April 18, 2008, at least 45 users had reposted the video interview using their own YouTube accounts.[18] Bunker's account was also canceled on April 17, and he believes this was due to copyright issues with a clip from The Colbert Report that he had uploaded.[17][19] Bunker said that those issues had been resolved, and that YouTube should have given him time to prove that before pulling the Jason Beghe interview.[17] Bunker believes that YouTube removed the Beghe interview after receiving pressure from Scientology.[17] A representative for YouTube told FOX News "There’s no conspiracy here.", but would not say whether Scientology pressured YouTube to remove the video, saying: "We do not comment on individual videos."[17]

By June 2, 2008, Bunker's xenutv1 and former xenutv account were reinstated by YouTube.[20]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lena Lewis KUSI-TV bio accessed 2008-02-04
  2. ^ About Mark Bunker, retrieved February 7, 2007.
  3. ^ Emmy 2006 Recipients, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Pacific Southwest Chapter.
  4. ^ Whyte, Murray (February 10, 2008). Scientology Protests - Anons plan `polite' church protest: Demonstrations - sparked by viral spread of Tom Cruise promo video - planned in 14 countries. Toronto Star. www.thestar.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
  5. ^ Lattin, Don (2000-05-15). Travolta's Religious Battlefield: Critics say movie bolsters Scientology. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
  6. ^ Braiker, Brian. "The Passion of ‘Anonymous’: A shadowy, loose-knit consortium of activists and hackers called 'Anonymous' is just the latest thorn in Scientology's side.", Newsweek, Newsweek, Inc., February 8, 2008, pp. Technology: Newsweek Web Exclusive. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  7. ^ a b c d e O'Neil, Deborah (2001-09-23). Northpinellas: Scientologist merchants can bar critics: A ruling says church opponents are not protected from discrimination and can be refused service. St. Petersburg Times. www.sptimes.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  8. ^ Puzzanghera, Jim. "Scientology feud with its critics takes to Internet: Cyber attacks and threats against the church erupt after it asks YouTube to pull Tom Cruise clips.", Los Angeles Times, Tribune Company, February 4, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-05. 
  9. ^ a b Landers, Chris (April 2, 2008). Feature by Chris Landers: Serious Business. Baltimore City Paper. www.citypaper.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
  10. ^ Masters, Kim; Renée Montagne. "'Anonymous Wages Attack on Scientologists: The fight started when the Scientologists tried to get a video of Tom Cruise off the Internet.", Morning Edition: Digital Culture, National Public Radio, February 7, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-07. 
  11. ^ Ortega, Tony (2008-03-11). What to Get L. Ron Hubbard for His Birthday. The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  12. ^ Davies, Shaun (2008-05-08). We've toned down the hate: Anonymous: Anonymous's initial attack on Scientology was highly aggressive — the group collapsed the church's website on January 17 and "declared war" soon after. National Nine News. news.ninemsn.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
  13. ^ a b Ortega, Tony (April 8, 2008). Scientology's First Celebrity Defector Reveals Church Secrets: 'I was Miscavige's favorite boy,' says veteran TV actor Jason Beghe. Village Voice. www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
  14. ^ Friedman, Roger (April 16, 2008). Actor: Scientology Is 'Brainwashing'. FOX News. www.foxnews.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
  15. ^ 'Sex and the City' star's cancer battle, Mills follows McCartney. The New Zealand Herald (April 16, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
  16. ^ Staff (April 23, 2008). Hollywood Scientologist slams church: A former friend of Tom Cruise and long-term member of the Church of Scientology has slammed the controversial religion in an online video rant. Marie Claire. www.marieclaire.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
  17. ^ a b c d e Friedman, Roger (April 18, 2008). Cruise, Travolta: Homo-novis. FOX News. FOX News Network, LLC.. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  18. ^ Schmidt, Veronica (April 18, 2008). Jason Beghe Scientology video removed from YouTube. Times Online. entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  19. ^ Metz, Cade (April 24, 2008). Anti-Scientology crusader vaporized from YouTube: 'Help me, Stephen Colbert. You're my only hope'. The Register. www.theregister.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
  20. ^ The Return Of XenuTV To YouTube - Mark Bunker’s Account Reinstated (2008-05-03).

[edit] External links

Wikinews
Wikinews has news on this topic:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Internet Portal
Scientology Portal
Languages