Holy fucking shit.

[rivka]

Dr. Wald,

My name is [Name]. I am a producer with Journey Films (www.journeyfilms.com). Our company has been retained by the Templeton Foundation to film the Forgiving Conference and some of its participants for a future public television documentary on the subject of forgiving.

We are seeking an opportunity to interview you on camera about the psychosocial correlates of forgiveness in persons living with HIV/AIDS. [Note: That's the name of the talk I'm giving at the conference.]

We have a separate room at the Westin Hotel where the conference is being held. It will be prepared with camera and lighting equipment. This would be a 30-minute interview conducted in a relaxed style. You will have the opportunity within the interview to strike any "sound bite" you do not want us to use.

[Then there's enough contact information to choke a whale, suggesting that he really does want to talk to me.]

We feel that this subject has great potential for broad public interest and that your participation in an interview will help to shape that interest.

Sincerely,

[Name]
Journey Films

Comments

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yep. They funded our grant, in which we're studying how forgiveness affects mental health, health behavior, and physical health in people with HIV. They seem to be very concerned about getting qualified scientists to do sound research, as opposed to getting them to validate the Foundation's pre-existing beliefs.