Quicknation    John Edward

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John Edward , or studio audience - this is often called a "reading". This involves John Edward standing before the audience, and speaking with its members, relaying the information he supposedly garners from their deceased acquaintances. The audience members then either confirm or deny aspects of the subject Edward is discussing. The show often employs a split screen (film), so that the viewer can witness John Edward continuing his reading without sound on one half of the screen, whilst on the other half the audience member being read discusses the accuracy of John Edward's claims. A voiceover is also implemented to help aid the viewer, giving a greater overview of what is occurring, and providing details which may be relevant to the context of the reading.

There are also instances where John Edward will conduct a private session away from the gallery, which is still filmed and commented upon. This is often the more "in-depth" part of the show, where those read, along with their families, talk in greater detail about the situation that lead up to their reading with Edward, and what conclusions they have drawn from the event. Periodically, will feature a part of the show that attempts to "catch-up" with those who have previously been read by John Edward.

The field of psychic mediumship is highly controversial, and draws opinions from believers and skeptics alike.

A "hit" is often described as an instance whereby John Edward appears to divulge information so personal to the person being read that it could only be true if he were communicating with the dead. These often intimate instances that Edward reports are seen by believers to prove his communicative abilities. However, skeptics often argue that it is possible that John Edward engages in hot reading. Hot Reading is a technique where information is gathered prior to a reading, and which is then implemented to make Edward appear as if he has gained the information from a non-corporeal source. Arguments such as the placing of a plant in the waiting line for the show have been proposed by some skeptics.

A technique whereby no knowledge is known prior to meeting the subject, and yet the proponent of the technique seems to hold a vast amount of knowledge about the subject. This is often conducted by speaking in extremely vague terms that are applicable to most people, or by offering a large amount of generic information in the hope that the subject will respond to one aspect of that given.

The claims leveled at John Edward often refer to his use of phonetics in an attempt to describe a fact about the deceased person, such as their name. It is argued that a person will know at least one person with the applicable sound or letter to their name, and thus affirm John Edward's claim that he is in contact with that person. This objection is often raised when dealing with those who claim to be a psychic medium.

The producer has relied heavily on the contributions of John Edward and other third parties in the creation of this program, which has been produced for entertainment purposes only. Materials and opinions presented in this program by John Edward and other third parties, including statements, predictions, documents, photos, and video footage come solely from the respective third party sources and are not the views, opinions, and the responsibility of the producer and, are not meant or intended to be a form of advice, instruction, suggestion, counsel or factual statement in any way whatsoever.

At the end of John Edward's show, the legal disclaimer shown above appears for 3.3 seconds. Some viewers, especially well versed conjurors, see the contents of the disclaimer, and the airtime it is given, as deceiving the viewers of . However, others point out that this type of disclaimer is considered standard practice for shows selling related material. In this case, the disclaimer is not related to metaphysics speculation about the nature of perception.

Edward was apparently tested under controlled laboratory conditions by psychologist Gary Schwartz, who concluded Edward's abilities were genuine. Part of the test involved a "reading" of a subject who Edward had not met previously. Skeptics, such as CSICOP's Ray Hyman, have raised objections to this test, and have critiqued Schwartz's methods.

, entitled "The Biggest Douche in the Universe", focused primarily on Edward, portraying him as a cynical and exploitative fraud who knowingly manipulates the bereaved. Stan works to expose him by mastering cold reading and repeatedly argues that Edward's actions are fraudulent, and more importantly, immoral, as they deceive the bereaved and vulnerable. At the end of the episode, aliens bring Edward to an intergalactic awards ceremony where he is honored with the

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, also on Comedy Central like South Park, called John Edward a "crazy TV psychic guy" when he stated his views on the Terri Schiavo case (about a woman in a coma and whether she could be allowed to die).

On a 2002 episode of Royal Canadian Air Farce, a popular Canadian sketch comedy program, guest star Peter Keleghan portrayed John Edward on his show, trying to communicate with dead loved ones of guest Elizabeth Taylor (Luba Goy). Taylor was very uncooperative, and ended up giving John a headache, which Taylor tried to help with by giving John a massage.

There are reports that a documentary, developed by a group of independent researchers, will demonstrate aspects of Edward's readings that have yet to be explained by the "cold reading" and "hot reading" hypothesis. This documentary has been rumored to come out in early 2006.