User talk:Rrenolds54

October 2011
Please do not add or change content without verifying it by citing reliable sources, as you did to Gold Rush Alaska. Please review the guidelines at Citing sources and take this opportunity to add references to the article. Thank you. Terrillja talk  23:11, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Please do not add unsourced content. This contravenes Wikipedia's policy on verifiability. If you continue to do so, you may be blocked from editing Wikipedia. ''You need to cite reliable sources to support statements here. See wp:rs for more info on what makes a reliable source (a blog isn't one).'' Terrillja  talk  14:58, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

The issue is whether the television show is scripted and directed. What better source than one of the "actors" himself, Jimmy Dorsey? The referenced blog is Jimmy Dorsey's blog and the specific comment cited was written by Jimmy Dorsey. In fact, I would not hesitate to say that Jimmy Dorsey is a more reliable source of information regarding the television show than any drivel Discovery Channel has published on their website. There are a lot of entries made to the Gold Rush Alaska page which are completely unverifiable other than accepting Discovery Channel's promotional website as holy gospel fact. Please read the referenced blog entry and others on Dorsey's site. Discovery Channel has deliberately misled the public about the true nature of this production.
 * While I understand your position, the issue is that policy requires a reliable source and explains what a reliable source is. TV critics or newspapers for example are considered more reliable sources. The blog of the "victim" is clearly not reliable as they are usually looking for some payback and have no hesitation in trying to pull others under with them. -- Terrillja talk  02:52, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

This is your last warning. The next time you disrupt Wikipedia, you may be blocked from editing without further notice. Again, you cannot just take his complaint or a word for word copy of his complaint without any fact checking by another source and try to use that as the truth. A balanced viewpoint would include responses from both parties reported by a reliable source. Continuing to ignore policies constitutes disruption and is something that could end up with you being blocked to prevent further disruption to the project.-- Terrillja talk  14:58, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

I was not ignoring any policy with my last revision. I carefully read the policies and I believed (and still do) that I was in full compliance.

With all due respect, Mr. Dorsey is not making a complaint. He is relating events known to him. He made comments in an interview with the Chilkat Valley News, which is a newspaper local to where Gold Rush Alaska was filmed. The newspaper staff and the writer of the referenced article were familiar with Dorsey and other members of the cast and crew. The CVN has published numerous articles about the filming of Gold Rush Alaska. For some strange reason, you appear to have some personal opinion of Mr. Dorsey. Perhaps you have bought into the show's fictional story line as well?

As for fact checking by another source, please read this: "On the flight over the North Atlantic, I’ve reviewed two scripts...", Sam Maynard (Executive Producer of Gold Rush) on his blog site Hebrides.com. Oh, wait. I can't reference this, either.

As far as balancing the viewpoints, I cannot find any rebuttal to Dorsey's comments by any source (credible or otherwise). The show's producers are very aware of what Dorsey has said about the scripting and other issues, but have chosen to not make any public statements. The Discovery promotional website does, however, describe the show as an "observational documentary". Anyone knowledgeable of film or television who has seen the show would find this laughable. But since it is on DC's promotional website it is a FACT, right?

Various accounts of the filming of Gold Rush indicate scripting. John Schnabel, 91 year old miner next door to the filming location has stated in several sources that producers were prompting or "baiting" him into making untrue fabricated statements for the camera. The mayor of Haines, Alaska was asked to say things which were scripted (he declined).

I would like to point out the Gold Rush Alaska page is composed almost entirely of information contained on the Discovery Channel promotional website. Has any of that information been fact-checked by anyone? Perhaps the entire page should be removed for lack of verifiable, reliable sources. I add one single word which I have scrupulously checked, and I am threatened with being blocked. This, somehow, seems unfair. And the casual reader of the article remains misinformed.
 * Well if you have found these sources, feel free to post them below. But as it stands, Dorsey's blog is not a reliable source.-- Terrillja talk  17:23, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

From the Chilkat Valley News, July 22, 2010 http://chilkatvalleynews.com/story.asp?Story=91&'Reality-miners'-seek-fortune--or-fame : [Some apparent scripting was evidenced at Saturday’s party when residents were asked on camera what they thought of a green crew arriving in Alaska to make it in gold mining.

When the question was put to borough facilities director Brad Maynard, he was enthusiastic. "I said, ‘I think it’s great.’ I kind of came up here on a pig in a poke. A lot of people came up here like that," Maynard recounted.

Crew members then told Maynard that’s not what they wanted to hear and the interview was re-shot. "So I told them, ‘I think their chances at success are miserable and I think they’ll fail,’" Maynard said. "They had their own lines they wanted me to say… They pretty much had it scripted."]

KHNS-FM radio in Haines, Alaska interviewed John Schnabel (miner next door to the film set) on their "Talk About Town" radio program. The audio recording was available online for a while, but I cannot find it now. I do have a CD recording of the interview sent to me by KHNS, however. In the interview, Schnabel relates how he was baited into saying something by the producers, much like that referenced above. He wouldn't comply with their wishes, however.

I think I have enough evidence to convince nearly anyone the show was scripted. The question now is, how can I post this information properly to wikipedia?

Thanks for your assistance.
 * I'm not sure that I am coming to the same conclusions you are. Trying to get a mayor to say something for b-roll is not the same thing as saying the entire show is scripted. It may be worth saying that there have been allegations of scripting in parts of the show but I need to think how to work it in. I'm not seeing the factual basis to say the entire thing is scripted, but it may be worth stating something. Let me think some.-- Terrillja talk  03:18, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

So, we have a cast member repeatedly describing the show as scripted, a newspaper article quoting a prominent member of the community as saying the show was scripted, the executive producer of the show admitting he worked with scripts, I have another prominent local community member whose description of events and interactions between himself and the production crew verifies scripting. The show is scripted. Don't get hung up on what the definition of "scripted" is. This type of "reality" show doesn't work from a script like they do to make a "normal" tv drama or movie. The dialogue, for the most part, is unscripted. The producers, however, have created a story line and manipulate the cast and events to create the story. They shoot and re-shoot scenes just like a normal production until they achieve what they want. Many viewers believe the show is "real" or unscripted. Many truly believe this is an "observational documentary" or "non-fiction" as Discovery Channel wants them to believe. It's what sells the show. It's just not the truth. P.S.: Here's a link to the KHNS public radio Haines, AK news archive: http://www.khns.org/newsarchive. Click on the 12-29-2010 program. There is info on Gold Rush Alaska starting midway through the broadcast. Segments of John Schnabel's interview are there. He mentions the "Baiting", as well as the staged "binoculars" scene. Pay close attention to the final comments of the news person.

'''@ Terrillja: 10/21/2011. Something interesting has occurred. Sam Maynard has changed the text of his blog regarding his review of scripts. It now says "edit scripts". It happened after I gave you the link to his blog site. Coincidence? Fortunately, I saved a copy of his blogsite last night before he changed it.'''

Terrillja: There has been no response from you for 5 days. I am assuming that if I make referenced changes to the article I will NOT be blocked from further editing. I am attempting to do this correctly, but I am not going to wait for you any longer. I will wait another day. If you do not respond, I will make the changes. I am doing this in good faith.