Peoples Temple in San Francisco - Media Alliances

Media Alliances

In 1972, Jim Jones first met Dr. Carlton Goodlett, publisher of the San Francisco newspaper, The Sun Reporter, which was targeted towards African American readers. The two encountered each other at political rallies and Goodlett's medical practice. The Sun Reporter soon thereafter presented the Temple with a "Special Merit Award." Temple media advisor Michael Prokes, a former reporter for a CBS affiliate, dined with Sun Reporter editor Tom Fleming and spoke of harassment of the Temple by the CIA and FBI.

The Temple and Goodlett soon forged an alliance, with Goodlett permitting the Temple to print its "Peoples Forum" newspaper on the Sun Reporter's presses. The deal was profitable for the Sun-Reporter, and Jones and Goodlett entered another media venture to invest and reorganize the Journal and Guide Newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia. The Peoples Forum's first issue was published in 1973, with a large format issue first being published in 1976. While Jones hoped to build it into San Francisco's third largest daily paper behind the Chronicle and the Examiner and grossly exaggerated the circulation of the paper at "600,000", the paper did grow to a circulation of closer to 60,000, the average San Franciscan at the least saw copies of it amidst other litter in the streets throughout the city and it received considerable correspondence from readers.

Meanwhile, the Sun Reporter wrote articles praising Jones and the Temple. In 1975, Goodlett and Jones also both participated in a delegation of persons sympathetic to the role of Cuba and the Central American countries in the struggle for peace that traveled to Cuba. However, Jones called Goodlett a "Cadillac Communist" behind his back.

Jones also cultivated other media relationships. At the San Francisco Chronicle, famed columnist Herb Caen was the Temple's most widely read media acquaintance, while City Editor Steven Gavin attended Temple services along with a Chronicle reporter. Several reporters at local newspapers and television stations also spoke favorably of the Temple. Caen included some of Temple member Michael Prokes' claims of orchestrated harassment by the CIA and FBI in his columns. Jones also won the National Newspaper Publishers Association Man of the Year Award, given by the Black Press of America.

The Temple carefully rehearsed any meetings Jones would have with reporters. It staged reporter visits to the Geary Boulevard facility, permitting reporters to see only specific parts of the building and stationing Temple members in places to compliment the reporter.

The Temple also had a weekly hourly radio show that ran in several cities, including KFAX in San Francisco.