The Media and Ghost Hunting

With all the Halloween hype over it's time for paranormal groups to get back to helping those in need.

While the public relations garnered from media attention can benefit investigation groups, mine included, it must be remembered that ghosts do not just come out during the month of October.

Families all over the world try to find ways to cope with bumps, visitations, disembodied voices, doors slamming and other activity each and every day and night for that matter. For them, Halloween is everyday.

I am not complaining because to tell you the truth, the more PR my team gets, the more our message is able to reach people. We're here to help. And for someone who is at home terrified, just having what they are experiencing verified can be a comfort.

I guess my main beef is that outside of the TV shows, the main stream media really needs to step up and cover groups during the year not just at Halloween or during the month of October.

The one thing that the TV shows have done is create more awareness so news producers and editors should not be afraid to publish or air the occasional ghost investigation that is truly helping someone in need. And believe me, there are a lot of people in need.

Those are the everyday cases that the media overlooks or the public is unaware of that paranormal groups deal with consistently.

Although there are those people who truly want to publicize their “ghosts” that still leaves the majority of the population who just want a quiet investigation where the paranormal team comes out, sets up its equipment and attempts to collect evidence. Those clients simply want help and it is our job as a paranormal team to provide as much help as is possible.

Being a journalist and editor for nearly 15 years has taught me that the media will go with the hot story. That is normal, after all, we want to sell newspapers or get high ratings. Even community newspapers tend to cover “what's hot” whether it's about a local farmer who stops using commercial pesticides or the dance at the high school.

All I'm saying is that mainstream media needs to change its view on paranormal groups and what they do. It's not just a “Halloween” thing. It's an all year issue that affects many people around the world.