Courier Mail

The Courier Mail was given a portion of information about The Final Step in 1998 (a programme run by Life Integration Programmes) and in conjunction with Channel Nine printed a story on Natasha Lakaev, Life Integration Programmes and their courses. No consideration or courtesy was given to the students actually attending The Final Step in 1998 in relation to their privacy or choice to be branded as 'sheep', 'cult members', 'brain washed', 'exploited' or otherwise. Their personal journey was plastered all over the varying levels of Australian Media with no choice. Attached is a link for 'journalism ethics' Code of Ethics. Something which was definately not followed by The Courier Mail in their effort to portray a story about this programme which produced far more positivity than the slant it was written with.

No-one bothered to interview the participants (60 people) themselves for their own individual experiences but rather exposed them in an 'unsafe' environment ie. to the public eye without clarification...only the cover of a 'painted picture'.

Those that did the exposing walked away with what in their minds? A job well done? What did it achieve other than turn a safe situation into what they were supposedly trying to blame an organisation (Life Intergration Programmes) for but actually conducted themselves?

And whats more, 60 people who actually 'experienced' this so called terrible scenario had less power over the voice of less than a hand full who were uncovering it?