Hello Ms. Trachtenberg,
I am an author, editor and journalist, and I must express a concern at the contradiction inherent in your posting and your email replies. Let me highlight a few instances. In your initial post you list the show as one concerning people with:
...unique collections or obsessions...
Now, in your response to user,
NichiTsukinoko, you claim that:
TLCShow said:
Yes, I am casting for My Crazy Obsession....
However, when those on this forum have presented their (justified, considering the subject matters you have covered in the past) concerns your language immediately changes to the less emotive:
...we are simply looking to profile collectors who are interested in sharing their collection with other enthusiasts...
So once you have been, to use the colloquialism, "called out", your descriptive language of the show changes. This makes me extremely concerned about your intentions regarding any collectors who should agree to participate in this episode. You are already being intentionally misleading, in regards to the tone of the show, when it suits you.
My second concern is the airing of the supposed "threatening emails" that you received, as part of your response to those expressing their concerns. In the media world, one knows one will receive correspondence that is not always pleasant. While it is a sad reality, it is a reality. In my work, I have received several threatening messages, including a threat from a cadet who reminded me he was licenced to carry a concealed weapon. However, this is not something that I advertise in order to make myself and my profession more appealing, or pitiable, in order to garner further work.
So one must question why you felt the need to bring up something that I am sure, if not yourself but someone in your department, must deal with on a regular basis (especially if the subject matter of your other shows is to be believed). It leads me to question whether the inclusion of such claims (and without proof, they are just that - claims) was done to give yourself a victimsed air, and thus paint yourself and the show in a more pitiable, favourable light. This kind of emotional manipulation furthers my concern as to how you will portray those on the episode in question, as it is clear already that we cannot completely trust everything you state here.
Now, let me bring up my final concerns - why were you not upfront about the show, and episode, in question from the outset. The best way to assuage fears is to be clear and concise in the initial post. Yes, the name of the show is, in fact, rather distasteful and disrespectful to the collectors you are portraying. The title uses the very emotive words "Crazy" and "Obsession", which already suggests that those in question will not be portrayed in a favourable light. However, had you been very detailed from the beginning about the name of the show, and the intentions of the producers, then calmly answered questions regarding these intentions, I have a feeling many people would not have reacted so strongly. There would have been a great deal of discussion back and forth and, perhaps, you would not have had warnings about your show spread throughout the collecting community. If you were honest and non-evasive from the initial post, then your comments would have been somewhat believable.
However, your evasiveness, and the vagueness of many of your replies - especially those regarding how this particular collecting community and its collectors will be portrayed - leads me to further distrust what you have been saying and to caution all those who you solicit to exercise caution themselves. Why the need to be so vague if the show is to portray those on it in a positive light? Why make something that is supposedly positive appear so, to use another colloquialism, "shady"?
If you were also serious about approaching our community in a respectful manner, you would have followed the rules outlined by this board and posted an introduction. Neglecting to do so is not only a slap in the face, again, using the colloquialism, to those who created this community, but it also further highlights that your intentions are not entirely as you claim.
Should this episode go ahead, and should you find any participants among our collecting communities, I will be more than happy to provide an honest review of the show, along with my own (un-edited) interviews with those you featured. I will be especially interested to see if any creative editing, apparent in many of these "reality" television programs, is used on these collectors and whether you manipulated answers (or asked leading questions that aim to malign the interviewee in question) to create a show that is sensational rather than truthful. If we are to believe your claims in these posts and emails, this will not happen. However, with the woeful self-censoring and sensationalism now inherent in the media, we shall see, shall we not?
I look on with interest and I do encourage everyone to exercise extreme caution with Ms. Trachtenberg, as she seems unsure of exactly what message she wishes to give us. I would always caution anyone to ask third and fourth questions of someone who refuses to outline the name and details of a program in their initial solicitations, yet claims that they in no way wish to malign their subjects.
From a professional stand point, this seems very misleading.
