A Chicago hatchet job

It's hardly surprising that the Chicago Tribune would devote a considerable amount of space to stories on polygamy in Utah last Sunday. Dating back well into the 19th century, newspapers have regularly fixated on the practice, which continues to define a small, and often unruly, percentage of the population in this region.

But what is surprising is that the newspaper would do such a quick-and-dirty job of it, making assumptions that seem to rely on the word of a few polygamists only. The result was not only to anger many residents of Eagle Mountain in Utah County but to mislead readers on several key points. That was unfortunate, given that other parts of the stories contained valuable information about these enclaves and their organizations.

Journalists often use observations, anecdotes or interesting quotes as scene-setters when drawing readers into a long piece. In this case, the writers described a neighborhood in Eagle Mountain, then quoted a polygamist who said, "Pretty much everyone who lives here is polygamous."

It's highly unlikely she was referring to the entire city of Eagle Mountain. If so, she was grossly inaccurate. She may have been referring to her own street. In any event, the story gives the impression that virtually the entire city of Eagle Mountain, one of Utah's fastest growing, is made up of families with more than one wife.

A few interviews with city officials would have cleared that up, or at least put some balance to it. The story itself quotes Attorney General Mark Shurtleff as estimating the number of polygamists in the entire western United States as about 40,000. If the lead to the Tribune story were accurate, Eagle Mountain, with its population of 15,000, would be the undisputed capital of polygamy, which it clearly is not.

The newspaper's reporting is filled with other irritating assumptions and gaffes. Polygamists are allowed to define "Mormon" principles. Although the authors do note the differences between the polygamist groups and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which owns this newspaper), they make no attempt to get the church's perspective on doctrinal claims.

A sidebar to the main story goes so far as to interpret Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants as saying that polygamy is "a way to achieve Godhood in the afterlife."

A little more time, a few more interviews, a little more care for a balanced perspective would have avoided problems that seem so glaring to locals, not to mention many church members in Illinois. Unfortunately, the Chicago Tribune's stories deserve to be thrown onto the heap of hatchet jobs on this well-worn subject in Utah.