TV4 and integrity

Dr. Sven Ljungholm writes on fsaof.blogspot.com:

There are three areas of focus in this, the 3rd article relating to what most blog visitors to the TV4 web site deem was a poor attempt at exposing what must correctly be termed a 'non-issue'; Can a sexually active homosexual be accepted as a Salvation Army soldier (full member of the church). While I believe that this (homosexuality) is an important issue, I do not think it is a defining one.

For me, a more urgent issue is, did members of the TV4 use ‘inside’ knowledge in entrapping SA personnel to 'demonstrate traditional spiritual means in helping people to deal with their psychological and spiritual concerns'?

Were unethical means used by TV4 in snaring naïve or less articulate SA representatives?  They were confronted by a slick TV4 undercover team who asked questions to garner responses they knew could be ridiculed, and they were.

One would expect two of the TV4 team to have demonstrated greater respect for the army. They are reported to be, or have been active members in the Pentecostal Church, and the other in the Covenant Church. Both denominations share historical views on what constitutes life styles that traditionally disallowed a person full membership in the church.  Personally disappointing to me is that they would be well versed in long time methods of spiritual counseling commonly used within their own denominations and recognize that they are identical to the army’s. Yet the SA, a sister church sharing similar fundamentalist Biblical positions, was singled out for intentional ridicule.

This was further compounded through the additional, pre-arranged interviews with two admitted homosexual Church of Sweden Pastors, ‘enlightened’ in comparison to SA pastors (officers), to further demonstrate the army’s antiquated and outdated beliefs.  I wonder if in fact the viewing public didn’t find their inclusion as simply silly, disparaging ‘clips’ intended to do nothing further but to mock the army and as ‘time fillers’.

Critics of TV4's fumbled attempt at professionalism run about 20 to 1 against their unethical, underhanded methods . Granted, some respondents voiced in more than once. Nonetheless, even the professional media watchdogs wonder if TV4 will survive this breech of professional conduct and why the network management hadn't stepped in to save the network’s face!