LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter issued this statement on Wednesday: "We're pro-active in reaching out to the media to educate them about proper use of the church's name and the word 'Mormon.'" You've seen the statement from the AP (Associated Press) stylebook that says that word is not correctly attributed to any other organization.

"If news outlets get it wrong, we will contact them and correct them. Over time, it's gotten better. Sometimes it only takes once, and other times people have to be reminded," Trotter said. "My experience has been they are very respectful and grateful for the information. ... "

"As it comes to our attention we address it. We'll go right to the reporter," rather than seeking out newsroom management, Trotter said.

"I think the coverage could be a lot worse," said Stewart Hoover, a University of Colorado professor of media studies and religious studies.

"I think the LDS Church has done a better job, a more careful and effective job in educating people about its positions on things than some other churches. Maybe it's because the LDS Church has owned media (Deseret Morning News, KSL Radio, KSL-TV), so it knows media."

Hoover said he has heard repeated comments on such cable channels as CNN noting that Jeffs' organization is not associated with the LDS Church and that the LDS Church stopped practicing polygamy in the 19th century.

"If the LDS Church hadn't made all those efforts over the years about its position on polygamy, the media could be completely confusing," Hoover said.

He said the church did a good job of education the media in response to the HBO series "Big Love."

He cites as an example of good public relations the LDS Church's response to the HBO series "Big Love" which shows a fictitious polygamous family with a husband and three plural wives living in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. The series includes numerous steamy sex scenes.

"The church has been careful to do what they had to do time and time and time again: educate the press and then public about the realities about that practice (polygamy) and the church," he said.

Another problem with the Jeffs coverage and any misunderstandings about the LDS Church is that most members of the media have never been very good at covering religion in general because it is a complicated and nuanced topic.

"For most journalists, it's fairly confusing for them," he said.

Additionally, when a big story such as the Jeffs arrest breaks, the people in a media outlet who do know about organized religion are not the ones dispatched to write or broadcast about it — it's the crime reporter or the national correspondent, who often knows few details and subtleties about such topics.

"It's very largely a staffing issue," Hoover said. "There typically are not enough religion stories in a year for them to invest the time and energy for specialists."

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Contributing: Carrie Moore

E-mail: lindat@desnews.com; bwinslow@desnews.com