MEDIA WATCH | ITV

John Sweeney—Hijacking Tragedy for Hate on ITV

After receiving the below letter, ITV took down the offensive video.

March 4, 2022

Nicole Dagnell
Producer
This Morning, ITV

nicole.dagnell@itv.com

Dear Ms. Dagnell,

I write on behalf of Scientologists in the United Kingdom, Ukraine and across the globe to express our disgust that ITV’s This Morning permits a known anti-Scientologist to hijack the tragic plight of Ukraine’s people to forward hate and bigotry against members of the Scientology religion.

While boasting the network is “for everyone” and takes pride in “championing diversity and embracing inclusion,” ITV readily gave a platform today to rhetoric that dehumanizes millions of Scientologists. If ITV does in fact stand by its published values, we expect it to take down or edit this offensive video immediately.

The people of Ukraine—Scientologists and non-Scientologists alike—deserve better than to have their hardship used by a bigoted opportunist as a chance to spread hate in a time of war.

The ITV team deserves better than to have its reputation needlessly sullied, too.

Thank you in advance for righting this.