At the same time, there are those that understand Mormons and practice good journalism. Take David Broder's column after Mitt Romney�s recent faith and politics speech. As one of the nation�s most senior political reporters, Broder recalls George Romney�s commitment to civil rights in the face of questions about his faith and the integrity of the family.

Broder wrote, �For me, with a lifetime of nothing but very positive relationships with Mormons, Romney's religion is as much of an asset as his family heritage. He was raised right by a couple I greatly admired, and the values they gave him are exactly those I would hope a leader would have.�

It�s also interesting how encounters between Latter-day Saints and reporters elicit similar reactions. On Sept. 11, 2001 — the day of the World Trade Center tragedy in New York City — Naomi Schaefer Riley was on the BYU campus conducting research for her book, �God and the Quad.� In a recent column in The Wall Street Journal, Riley talks about the values of Latter-days, particularly the BYU students she met. She wrote: �A lot of what we call religious tolerance depends on social contact, not theological understanding.�

I�m grateful for journalists such as Riley who seek to enlighten rather than inflame.

Futhermore, I�ve long been a fan of Jan Shipps, a non-Mormon who has studied the LDS Church extensively. I was impressed by her post-Romney speech column in the Christian Science Monitor, in which she pointed out the �Mormoness� of his speech. As a scholar, Shipps has long sought to understand both the theology and culture behind the religion. She builds bridges rather than throws bombs.

Perhaps there is something to be learned from all of this. Maybe we should encourage a reverse Mormon exodus back East. Or perhaps we could take Maureen Dowd and Christopher Hitchens to lunch (although they would probably decline, as they wouldn�t want to be seen breaking bread with wackos).

But seriously, we need to be involved in our communities so that social interaction tears down stereotypes. And as Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently suggested, we ought to contribute to the national conversation about our faith.

(Joel Campbell is an assistant professor in the Department of Communications at BYU. He was a reporter and editor at the Deseret Morning News for 15 years and has also worked in corporate communications. He holds a master�s degree from the Ohio State University and a bachelor�s degree from BYU.)