There is an interesting background article in The Listener regarding the recent 20/20 item about the Taranaki psychic Jeanette Wilson.
I wrote to 20/20 about this item soon after it screened:
"I hope that Melanie Reid is going to do a follow up story with an objective analysis of the readings Jeanette Wilson gave in the 20/20 programme last night. As we only saw edited versions apart from the performance (I think this is the correct word) that was shown in full. It would be very simple to sit with the tapes and simply count the yes, no, maybes for all the readings to get a better idea of how accurate it was. I’d be happy to do this if you supply unedited tapes.
Two questions, In the reading seen in full there was much talk about “a boy” who it was implied “met an unnatural end” that was not mentioned again or questioned when there was no link. The timing of the death Jeanette mentioned was wrong (5-10 vs 2 years) and the subject told Jeanette about the mother’s death not the other way around.
The man’s reading mentioned a new car. Just a guess; was it parked outside when she arrived?"
I received this reply & guess there isn't going to be any follow-up:
Thank you for your e.mail in response to last Sunday's 20/20 story "Back from the Dead". We have had a significant number of letters and phone calls, as many from viewers keen to contact Jeanette Wilson, as from viewers like yourself who were completely unconvinced by her.
Overall the programme gave Jeanette Wilson time to put her beliefs and opinions forward, and those beliefs and opinions were questioned. Similarly, the representative from the Skeptics Society had the opportunity to criticise Ms Wilson's readings, beliefs and opinions.
TV3 is confident the programme, when viewed impartially, was fair and balanced.
Noel's article from the Listener is worth a read as it backgrounds some of the techniques used by "psychics, astrologers and clairvoyants":
Heaven sent by Noel O'Hare | New Zealand Listener
