The Role of the Media in Public Perception of New Religious Movements, with Special Reference to Groups where Violence Has Occurred

The media often refers to groups whose faith is different to the traditional religions as "cults", as opposed to alternative or new religious movements (from here on referred to as NRM's). The word "cult" has become imbued with all sorts of negative emotional connotations. The general public perception of cults is that they are something that should be hated, feared or at least avoided and cult members are regarded as brainwashed or people already prone to psychological problems, or at the very least "weak" and misguided. They are portrayed as violent and destructive. To what degree has the media been responsible for this perception, and how accurate is this popularly held view?
The information that public perception is based on.
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