The ParaNexus Newsletter
Tonight on ParaNexus Universe Radio
© 2009 by ParaNexus.org.
Editor: David Desjardins CD
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October 22, 2009

CONTENTS
Editors Corner
2
Gadgets and Gizmo’s
—Clean My What???
2 •
Responsible Research:
– “Experts” in the Paranormal
Field?
4
Paranormal Groups and the
Media
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 ParaNexus Newsletter

Editors Corner Gizmos and Gadgets – by Dave Desjardins

by Dave Desjardins A weekly review of the latest “tech”, and tips on
paranormal research and equipment.
Many apologies for the absence of
last week’s Newsletter. A sudden
illness got the better of me and had
me laid up for a bit. With that said, They say that cleanliness is next to Godliness or something like that. This
I’m back to normal (relatively speak- to me includes your camera equipment. I know what some of you are think-
ing of course), and return to the sad- ing, that I have cameras on the brain, well, yes as a matter of fact I do, and
dle to get this week on line and out to for good reason. As of late I’ve had the opportunity to review a few photo’s
our readers. that the photographer(s) would swear left right and center are the result of
ORB’s or other paranormal phenomena, despite what anyone else may say to
It would seem that in my short the contrary (sorry, can’t include them due to confidentiality agreements).
layup, much has changed and I have a One such photo immediately struck me as a totally filthy camera lens and or
bit of catching up to do. Doug has sensor. (If you want to be really technical about it, it is the low pass filter in
been busy revamping the layout and front of the sensor that gets gummed up not the sensor itself, tomato, tomA-
look of the web site, making it that to, but some would argue, trust me.)
much more professional in appear-
ance and streamlining its functionali- With the proliferation of D-
ty plus adding a NEW FEATURE which SLR cameras on the market
enables members to customize the making their way into the
look of their profile page (check un- equipment boxes of anomalous
der your Members Menu). researchers everywhere, there
raises some concerns with pho-
In addition to the esthetic to contamination. In this re-
changes, membership and subscrip- spect there is some merit to
tions are steadily on the rise, which is the tiny point and shoot cam-
great to see. I, personally take com- eras, but, still not enough to
fort in the fact that there are a great make me use one. Many
number of likeminded professional people assume that if they
people that are willing to support keep their lenses clean the
what we at ParaNexus are about, are camera will take care of the rest, especially with the newer models Of D-SLR
willing to share and are willing to incorporating a sensor cleaning feature which in theory “cleans” the sensor
learn alongside the rest of us as we every time the camera is turned on or off. In part this is true, in that the
search for the truth and offer objec- mechanism briefly vibrates the sensor in an attempt to dislodge any loose
tive opinions and advise. The rest I particles that may be present. For this it works wonderfully. However, every
will leave to Doug so as not to steal time a lens is removed and replaced, you are breaking a seal and introducing
his thunder. new contaminants to the now exposed sensor, some of which are bound to be
Until next week. a little harder to remove than with just a quick shake. Some of these par-
ticles are going to be small enough that you may in fact have a hard time see-
Best wishes. ing them with your naked eye, but that doesn’t mean that they are not there,
Questions, comments or sugges- and it doesn’t mean that your super sensitive camera will not pick them up
tions pertaining to this newsletter or and portray them as being your next paranormal holy grail.
anything posted herein, may be sent Cleaning is relatively easy and can range from a number of different solu-
to ddesjardins@paranexus.org. tions (Google “DSLR sensor cleaning tools”), some more expensive than the
others, but, for the love of Pete, don’t blow on it and assume that did the
trick. Saliva introduces a whole new set of issues and can be a real pain to
remove. Most camera geeks will have canned air and various other solvents
and wipes to clean their cameras. I’ve found the easiest and cheapest, aside from a little squeeze bulb air blower that
you can get from any camera shop, is the old fashioned soft paint brush, assuming that you keep the brush itself clean
and if you need to go with a wet cleaning solution, cotton swab, and methanol alcohol. Remembering a little dab will
do you and to check that the cotton swab has not left any contaminants of its own. Stay away from paper towels, tis-
sue, or toilet paper as these can be abrasive and really screw things up if you’re not careful.
So, how do you know if your sensor it dirty? Easy! If you are 100 percent sure your lenses are spotless, connect your
favorite one (50mm or longer) to your camera and bring it bear on any light background, the sky, white wall, piece of

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 ParaNexus Newsletter

paper, etc… Set your lens to manual focus, and adjust it so your test subject is totally out of focus, after all we want
to see the dirt not the background. If your lens has an image stabilization feature, turn it off as well, adding motion
blur helps the process but isn’t necessary. I like to use infinity focus on the sky (works best for me) or a white wall.
These next steps are important and may require some to dig out a manual (refer to my article on photography tips,
lol). On the camera itself, set your exposure mode to AV, ISO 100 and set the aperture to a very narrow setting, at
least f22. Failing to do so will not show even the larger specs of dirt with a wide aperture. Now click away.
To make the results more noticeable you may want to transfer the photos to you computer, where you can see
them full size, or you can use the zoom feature on your LCD display. If your sensor is dirty, you will note black spots in
your picture. If you are reviewing on your LCD screen keep in mind that where the spots appear on the image will be
exactly opposite of where the dirt is on your sensor in relation to up and down. The lens flips the image upside down
much like the human eye and the camera un flips it for viewing in the LCD.
So now that we know how to check our cameras, show of hands, how many of us need to clean our sensors? (Raises
hand). If at any point you are not sure on what you are doing, or don’t feel comfortable cleaning the delicate parts,
don’t be afraid of visiting your local camera shop. The employees there are always happy to help, just be cautious of
“the next best thing in cleaning equipment that just came off the truck today.”

Ed’s Note: These tip’s/tricks are by no means intended to be considered gospel. Are there different ways of achiev-
ing the same results? Absolutely! At least a dozen. These are what have worked for me in the past and continue to
work. I only offer them as another tool to add to your information tool box. I do not, and will not endorse any spe-
cific photographic product or company, people like what they like for their own reasons and I’m not inclined to ar-
gue Ford Vs Chevy. To coin one of my favorite photographers, Chase Jarvis, “The best camera is the one you have
with you.” – D.D.

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thing that you feel should be
said?
A comment, criticism, or opi-
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mal research or its future?
Make your voice heard in the
ParaNexus Newsletter.

All submissions may be sent to

ddesjardins@paranexus.org

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 ParaNexus Newsletter
Responsible Research: “Experts” in the Paranormal Field?
By Doug Kelley CH, CSL, CLPI
ParaNexus Chairman, Executive Director

“There are no experts on the paranormal” is a
common sentiment among those involved in paranormal
research, most notably among prominent names in the
ghost hunter segment of the field. Interestingly, I per-
sonally have yet to hear the same statement from any-
one in the UFO field. This expression seems to make
sense and sounds so good. But does it really hold wa-
ter?
Do “Experts” Know Everything?
According to the dictionary, the word “expert” is
defined as “a person with a high degree of skill in or
knowledge of a certain subject.”(1) Notice that the
definition does not say “someone who knows everything
about a certain subject.” It is clear from this definition
that a person would simply need to have a “high degree
of skill or knowledge of a certain subject” to be consi-
dered an “expert.”
Compare two fields of scientific study: gravity and
string theory. If you perform an online search for “ex-
pert” in either of these two fields, you will find a list of
learned men and women considered as such. Stephen
Hawking comes up as “one of the world’s top experts in
gravity” on one website.(2) However, are we to believe
that Stephen Hawking knows everything about gravity?
Of course not. No one knows everything about any-
thing, most of all, gravity. But Hawking does know a lot
more than most, hence, he is considered an “expert.”
New York City Physics Professor, Michio Kaku, is consi-
dered to be an expert in string theory.(3) But he un-
doubtedly would tell you that he does not know every-
thing about it or even whether it is ultimately true.
Yet, he is considered an “expert” (and rightly so).
With a little research, you may be shocked to learn
that many of the working theories that science uses are
just that—theories. This includes the “Big Bang”
theory, theories of star creation, atomic particles, evo-
lution, M theory, and the many-worlds theory, to name
a few. Even still, these fields have many “experts.”
How is the anomalous research field any different?
We have many theories about the nature of ghosts, spi-
rits, UFOs, abductions, aliens, etc. Is it not possible
that certain men and women in the anomalous and pa-
ranormal research field could be considered “experts?”
Consider Dr. William G. Roll, for example. He is an
academician, parapsychologist, and ParaNexus Consul-
tant. He is noted for his research concerning “polterge-
ist” activity and coined the term “Recurrent Spontane-
ous Psychokinetic” (RSPK) activity as a scientific term
to describe it. He has presented papers internationally
on such topics as “Parapsychology & Quantum Entan-
glement.”(4) Dr. Roll is certainly an expert in the field.
Also consider ParaNexus Consultant, Brad Steiger.(5)
While I am not aware of Brad possessing any higher de-
grees, his career as a paranormal researcher has
spanned over 50 years and he has authored and/or co-
authored over 166 books and over 2,000 articles on pa-
ranormal topics. With over 17 million copies of his
books in print, he has certainly educated himself
throughout his career and rightly deserves to be consi-
dered an expert.
It becomes clear that—just like academia—the ano-
malous research field also has experts even though
these men and women do not know everything about
the field and do not have all of the answers. And this is
exactly as it should be.
Why We Need Experts
As we have seen, the concept that there are no ex-
perts in the paranormal field really doesn’t hold water.
Psychologically, this faulty concept is actually a mechan-
ism or crutch for some who lack self-confidence in the
field to feel comfortable among their peers when speak-
ing or writing about their ideas and hypotheses. Fur-
thermore, this concept can actually lead to irresponsible
researcher behavior such as posting highly questionable
photos on one’s website and labeling them as paranor-
mal in nature.
Further still, this concept actually keeps the para-
normal field from evolving because it discourages
knowledge and growth. The concept implies that it is
not really possible to learn much about anomalous phe-
nomena because no one knows much about it. This is
simply untrue. Many people actually know quite a bit
about it, although we have yet to explain it fully.
This makes it clear that we actually want and need ex-
perts! Becoming an expert in any field is the logical and
natural result of growing in knowledge and skill.
Determination and Responsibility of an Expert
In some instances, a person may properly be a self-
ascribed expert, but “expert” is usually a relative and
rather subjective term; it is often ascribed to a person
automatically by others due to education or promi-
nence in a field of study. People looked upon as “ex-
perts” in the paranormal field include team founders,
researchers who have garnered some degree of celebri-

4
 ParaNexus Newsletter

ty status from appearances on TV or in documentaries,
researchers who lecture frequently, those who regular-
ly write about paranormal topics, research groups who
may appear in local newspapers and the media, and
others.
Like it or not, prominent individuals in the field are
looked upon as experts especially by the public regard-
less of whether the individual’s “expert” status is well-
deserved. Due to this fact, all researchers—and espe-
cially prominent individuals—owe a debt of responsibili-
ty to both the paranormal field and the public. Respon-
sible researchers must always weigh their comments,
findings, and evidence to make sure that no harm en-
sues as a result. Responsible researchers understand
that what they say can and does have an impact on
those who hear. It is important for them to make sure
this impact is positive and does not promote fear.
With the foregoing in mind, continue to grow and
learn in this field. Become an expert! If we internally
assume the role of an expert and the responsibility that
goes with it, we will think twice about how we conduct
our research, investigations, and interactions with
clients. We will be more apt to think before we post
alleged paranormal evidence on our website knowing
that we want to set a good example of doing no harm.
References
(1) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Lan-
guage, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin
Company.
(2) http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/04/22/stephen-
hawking-gravity-of-the-situation/
(3)
http://esciencenews.com/sources/the.guardian.science/200
9/06/14/science.weekly.with.michio.kaku.impossibility.relati
ve
(4)
http://www.paranexus.org/forum/index.php?action=articles;
sa=view;article=152
(5) http://www.bradandsherry.com/

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 ParaNexus Newsletter

Paranormal Groups and the Media

By Sonny Charette
EOPIC Public Relations, historical researcher and investigator

It’s probably safe to say that most groups have had
at least one encounter with a representative from the
media. Whether it was from the local newspaper, radio
or television station, many groups have been exposed
to the media in one way, shape or form. Sometimes it
has been a positive experience, sometimes not so
much. Groups that have had bad experiences generally
tend to shy away from the media afterwards. They
tend to fixate on the popular mindset of other groups
(with their own negative experiences) that the media is
only out to sensationalize and denigrate the work that
most legitimate research groups are involved in. After a
bad interview, news item, or report, groups generally
tend to believe that they were intentionally made to
look foolish or unprofessional. Sometimes this may be
the case, other times this may have been merely how
the group had inadvertently chosen to present them-
selves.
What can be done to take a possible nightmarish
experience and turn in it into a positive one? The an-
swer, or answers, are more easily found and learned
than one may expect; and most are plain common
sense. With the proper care, research, and prepara-
tion, the average paranormal group can maximize the
effect of any encounter with the media and capitalize
on portraying themselves as they wish to be, thus be-
ginning a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
Contacting the Media
Many organizations have all taken that extraordi-
nary step when they first become organized (or perhaps
later) to introduce themselves to the community and
promote the services that they offer. This can even
include the announcement of an event in which the
group is participating. But more decisions are necessary
to ensure maximum coverage and minimal risk for the
group.
As everyone knows, first impressions are the most
important. Although, a good first impression doesn’t
necessarily involve sending out an enormous amount of
media releases to every media outlet in your region. A
properly prepared media release and an organized se-
lection of primary media contacts (via mail or fax) is
normally all that is required. For instance, the media
release should be short and to the point; no more than
one page. A longer media release is like sitting through
a four minute commercial on television. The audience
either changes channels or does something else until it
is over.
In dealing with the media, a primary contact person
(or spokesperson) from within the group should be se-
lected to be available when and if the media responds.
Their contact information and that of the paranormal
group should be included in the release. The decision
as to who should represent or speak for the group is
one that needs to be made carefully, as the wrong
choice could result in a less than optimal result. The
right choice for the job is someone who communicates
clearly and effectively, and can adapt quickly when
faced with unexpected questions.
Finally, when a response comes in, a broader sum-
mary of the release and what the group hopes to ac-
complish is all that is generally required. This and a list
of available dates and times for an interview, if the
reporter chooses to follow up. If caught off-guard, the
group spokesperson can always ask to call back in order
to confirm a date and time. Anything longer than half
a day and the group risks missing their opportunity to
promote themselves or their activity or event. Para-
normal groups must always remember that the media is
a very fast paced business. With deadlines and report-
ers multi-tasking on various stories at once, the report-
er may move on to a different story if the group delays
too long.
Do not be discouraged if no response to the release
is received. The media is run on certain types of sto-
ries, and are dictated by what will sell papers or get
more viewers or listeners. It is no secret that the dif-
ferent branches of the media “feed off” of each other
by running similar storylines, breaking news, and in-
depth studies and reports. When breaking news hap-
pens in the world or nationally, all the big papers will
carry almost the same story with the same picture. The
television reports will carry the same reel footage,
even though the report’s narration may differ slightly.
Remember, what interests the paranormal group may
not seem interesting to the media. Unless of course it
is Halloween or there happens to be a particular ghost
story surrounding a certain location.
For the new groups promoting themselves or their
events, the best and cheapest way to do this is to go on
the internet. Promoting the group, an event, or the
group’s website can be done by visiting local communi-
ty online information boards and event calendars. Be

6
 ParaNexus Newsletter
careful of the sites you post on. Some request personal
contact information which is generally not required on
legitimate sites.
The Media Contacts You
For any paranormal group, the one time of year that
the media usually takes the initiative to contact us is
right before Halloween. Not that this is a bad thing, but
it can sometimes conflict with other plans that the
group has made in advance regarding an investigation,
another Halloween-related event, or family and per-
sonal obligations. There is nothing that can be done
about this when it happens. But simply saying, “No, we
can’t do it for them” also doesn’t help. It is true that
reporters are busy and really appreciate it more if a
response is given immediately. But, once again, asking
for a little extra time to call back to allow for a careful
consideration of the request and all the options availa-
ble is a much wiser approach.
Arranging an interview with the media can involve a
little negotiation. If the media has contacted the
group, then there is generally already a pre-selected
date and time in mind. This isn’t the reporter’s fault
since the date and time was arrived at to first fit their
schedule in order to meet their deadline. If a schedul-
ing conflict begins to emerge, being cooperative and
providing alternative solutions will make the process go
along more smoothly. Although these alternatives may
not be accepted, it will show that the group is still in-
terested and will not reject the request outright. Be
careful not to commit to anything unless absolutely
certain, a last minute decision on a previous commit-
ment to the media may look unfavorably upon the
group in the future.
The principle aspect of the entire situation is that if
the media request cannot be faithfully honored, then it
cannot be honored. There is no use fretting about it.
But do take the contact information of the reporter and
remind him/her to contact the group if and when a
similar opportunity arises.
Tips When Dealing with the Media
When we all get that phone call or e-mail from a
reporter, whether we are expecting it or not, we need
to keep a calm and cool head on our shoulders. The
representative and the reporter have to work together
to establish their position on key points.
Expectations rise to the top of this short list of
points. What the group expects and what the reporter
expects can be two completely different things. The
group may expect to sit and talk with the reporter,
while the reporter may expect a more practical expe-
rience in the field during an investigation. If the re-
porter is asking to participate in, or witness an actual
or simulated investigation, the group shouldn’t scram-
7
ble around at the last minute looking for a potential
location. It usually takes longer than a few days to find
a location, and that isn’t even including interviewing
the property owner and gathering the necessary back-
ground and historical data on the location. Common
sense would also dictate that private residence investi-
gations are definitely out of the question when involv-
ing media. It is highly unlikely the owner of a residence
would want a reporter, or worse, a television crew in
their home documenting everything for public con-
sumption. If a location isn’t readily available then pro-
pose an appropriate alternative. The group shouldn’t
change its protocols or operations all in the name of
self-promotion. Last minute preparations, rushed and
disorganized, are easily recognizable and will be no-
ticed and undoubtedly related by the reporter.
Duration is the last key point to address. This may
be dependent on expectations as well. Reporters relate
information to the general public and have fixed dead-
lines for stories, articles, and television segments. The
size and length of a column in a newspaper is also de-
pendant on the subject matter and on the medium used
in the interview. It is completely possible to see a thir-
ty or forty minute interview encompass a few para-
graphs, or two hours of video shortened to a ten to fif-
teen minute segment.
The Interview
The time finally arrives where the spokesperson and
the reporter finally get to sit down face-to-face and
conduct the interview. There are many ways to ap-
proach this sometimes awkward aspect of the group
promotion. Sometimes the reporter gives the group an
idea of what he or she is looking for in terms of infor-
mation: On the odd occasion even asking the group
what kind of questions they should ask. The group
should be careful in this case as the reporter might use
these easy questions to get the spokesperson comforta-
ble before asking the more difficult ones. The main
task for the spokesperson is to remain positive, listen
carefully to each question before answering, be patient
and friendly, and follow a few simple rules in order to
present themselves and the group accordingly in order
to get a fair rendering in the article or segment.
The first rule for a spokesperson is to be well
briefed in all aspects in what the group is involved in.
Knowing what the group is doing, what it plans to do in
the short term, and its mandate are key to giving an
accurate overview of the group’s activities and goals.
The spokesperson should anticipate difficult questions
from the reporter and prepare for them. If an issue
comes up in the interview that wasn’t anticipated, it’s
not a crime to admit that you are not an expert in
every field of the paranormal. If you don’t know the
answer, say so. Misleading and inaccurate information
will only come back to haunt you (no pun intended).
 ParaNexus Newsletter
Referencing another member is acceptable as permis-
sion has been granted.
Another important rule is to keep it simple. The
reporter is not an expert on the paranormal, so em-
ploying the widely used and excepted expressions or
acronyms may not go over as well as expected. General
explanations should be used, but don’t talk down to
your reporter.
The last, most important rule is quite simple and,
once again, plain common sense. Before answering any
questions, remember not to say anything you don’t
want to be printed, heard on radio, or seen on televi-
sion. There is no such thing as being able to say, “off
the record”. That simply doesn’t exist in real life and
the group spokesperson should be mindful of that. Also,
it is tempting to volunteer anecdotes and stories from
past investigations, (and these do make effective tools
in promoting your group’s professionalism and level of
experience) but do remember to take precautionary
measures that those stories from private investigations
should be avoided. If it isn’t possible, then generalized
facts should be used about the places and names should
be left out completely. Other instances of investiga-
tions should be handled the same way unless otherwise
indicated by the clients. Even though this interview is
to promote your group and its activities, the clients’
privacy is always the most important cornerstone of
any reputable paranormal group.
It is quite the experience for the paranormal group
to get the attention of the media. It is a process that is
filled with unexpected twists and turns and that can
either positively or negatively affect the group. But, if
handled correctly, both parties can walk away from the
experience satisfied that they got what they expected
to get out of it.
References
8
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “Steps to Getting the Most Out
of the Media”.
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “Dos and Don’ts” For Dealing
with the Media.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/005.html.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “Tips for Handling Reporters.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/009.html.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “What do the Media Want.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/010.html.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “Dealing with Journalists.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/011.html.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “Being Interviewed.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/012.html.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “Maximize your Media Expo-
sure and Minimize your Risk.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/016.html.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “Tips for Dealing with the Me-
dia.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/017.html.
Global Development Research Centre, The. Dealing
with the Media. “The Media Rules.”
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/media/020.html.
University of Calgary, The. Dealing with the Media.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/dealing-with-
media.
 ParaNexus Newsletter

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