WorstParanormal.com Extortion? (Audio)

Jun. 05 Opinion 2 comments

UPDATE: Below is the Prove It! Live program featuring Triad Mediums and Paranormal Search Team one of many teams “found guilty” by the fascist organization PSIRO:

The original article:

As I have reported the past several days Worstparanormal.com seems to have placed themselves as head of the paranormal community with their finger pointing website. I wanted to know what gave them the authority to do this and what I found looks suspiciously like extortion.

The website makes it clear, at least since my first report here at GP, how a team finds it’s way to their list. They have taken their ideology (eerily similar to the ideology of the founders of the MyPara website) and have knighted themselves the protectors of the people from the big bad paranormal community that practices a different methodology. They have determined that the only people capable of providing service to the people of the world are those they determine are not the “worst”.

 

So why would a group or organization do this? I can’t even image so I took a look at the organization who claims to have started it. PSIRO claims that they decided that the community was not disciplined and began the task of reigning you all in.

What I found fascinating was that after I posted the first article here at Global Paranormal the worstparanormal website suddenly added yet another disclaimer. This time identifying themselves as the two contributors to the website. Only with a seriously flawed policy. The claim that “contributors” must register and identify themselves for “fairness” seems to only count if you don’t just drop them an anonymous line. This is what it said Monday about posting on their site:

It would seem unfair to write on this site anonymously, so the teams and individuals that contribute and write for this site have listed their names or organizations below. We believe in peer review, education, and furthering the study of the paranormal. Feel free to visit our sites and critique them as well. We actually welcome it.

Yes it would seem unfair to anonymously post about teams. Yet Wednesday they admit that they allow it by taking anonymous suggestions and posting under their own contributor status. This is what the site says about that:

Worst Paranormal is a site dedicated to protecting the general public from the influx of false and misleading information being posted as facts within the paranormal community. The general public needs to be aware that with the increase in the media, the paranormal research field has become a circus for every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a camera to start putting their own teams, [re]posting the same false information, and perpetuating the same false and/or unproven claims that research has yet to prove is valid. We are not doing this anonymously, our team names are listed in the right column of our contributors. We do allow, however, anonymous tips to be sent in for us to review. Each team that is submitted must meet basic criteria in order to be published on this site. All postings are the opinions of their respective contributors.

So even though these buffoons didn’t locate some of the teams through their diligent work and dedication to the paranormal field, the tip is just as good. Unfortunately people understand that no matter what you coat a turd with, it still stinks. So even though they say they are not posting anonymously, they are.

Then there is this little matter of possible extortion. The website outlines exactly how you get on the list yet offers no information on how to get off of it. So I decided to look deeper. Worstparanormal says very clearly the following:

There is currently no nationally recognized entity or sanction that certifies paranormal investigators. Do not allow a certified paranormal team be a deciding factor when choosing a team to investigate your home. Many certifications that are out there for researchers provide false and misleading information to the investigators, which then spills into the general public and their investigations with you. Please be cautious with teams that claim to be certified. There is no such thing.

Interesting since their PSIRO organization offers a certification class on paranormal investigation. Here is what it says:

Since there are currently no nationally recognized certifications or degrees in paranormal type research, PSIRO has created its own standards of education and requirements of certification as a PSIRO researcher. PSIRO Researcher Certification requires a high school degree or equivalent, 20 hours of in-field research shadowing, completion of assigned research papers, attendance to minimum required lectures and workshops, and a passing grade on final exam created and administered by PSIRO.

Could this be the way to get off of their list? According to their own website the organization was faced with negative feedback from the start and they went ahead. If you look at their forum discussions the negative feedback continues to this day. Forcing the teams they have dubbed the worst to take their course on paranormal investigation might get them off the worstparanormal website list. Of course the certificate wouldn’t be worth the paper it was written on according to their own website.

Now one has to ask if there is a charge for membership into this PSIRO organization. I found no information on their website pertaining to fees of any kind. Nor did I see the mention of membership being free. The same is true for their certificate class. I read no mention either way. If they have a membership fee or charge for the certification then it will be clear where the hypocrisy of worstparanormal originated.

Attempts to contact PSIRO for comment via their website were not immediately returned.

Don’t miss Prove It! Live tonight as Don Ford and me talk to some of the people that have found their way to this rag worstparanormal. Visit http://live.goingbeyondradio.com at 9pm eastern.

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Chuck ManningAbout: Chuck Manning (888 Posts)

Chuck Manning is the Director of Voyage Into Paranormal Society of Ohio and the Managing Editor of Global Paranormal. Chuck has a passion for the paranormal field and shares it through his posts here. Chuck is also the owner and producer of Going Beyond Radio and also owns and manages Haunted Like Me.


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  • Sickofit

    Why are you so against this are you afraid you may end up on it?  If more people called out all the bullshit it might stop the dumb asses from posting it.

    • http://globalparanormal.com/ Chuck Manning

      It is very simple why I am against it. The website moronically tells it’s readers their are no set standards in the paranormal field yet “finds guilty” teams that violate the standards they dreamed up. That in a nutshell is hypocritical.

      As for being afraid I end up on the site, please spare me your ignorance. I own my websites. I am beholden to no one. There is nothing the two founders or one member of PSIRO can do to me.

      Look I have no problem with the organizations goals. If that is the way people want to take their team so be it. The issue I have is that if people don’t want to go that way the PSIRO organization simply forces them to by dubbing them “worst”. It’s called extortion or even fascism.

      That organization will never have the authority to dictate policy within the field. Their marketing plan already alienates more than 90% of the field. If you eliminate 60% of the field that use metaphysical arts coupled with with 30% who can easily see this as extortion, it only leaves 10% even interested. As long as they continue this stupid Worst Paranormal site they will continue to maintain the three members they have now.

      Even Thelma from LIPRI when asked to be on our radio program dissed the worstparanormal website. People are bailing and will continue to do so simply due to the tactics. The message of PSIRO is sound, the fascist way they intend to drum up members is juvenile and will do nothing to advance their cause.