Journalists urged to allow Mormons to define themselves

WASHINGTON, D.C. — News reporters and editors from around the country were urged to allow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to define themselves rather than to exclusively look to sources outside the church for definitions of what it means to be a Mormon or to explain LDS doctrine or history.

"Define us by who we are and by our central beliefs rather than who we are not or by obscure or irrelevant beliefs," Michael R. Otterson, managing director of public affairs for the LDS Church, said during a Thursday morning session of a conference called, "Politics and Religion: Getting it Right in 2012."

The one-day conference is sponsored by the Poynter Institute, a non-profit school of journalism located in St. Petersburg, Fla. According to the institute's website, "the Poynter Institute is a school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders. It promotes excellence and integrity in the practice of craft and in the practical leadership of successful businesses." The conference attracted some 30 journalists, and featured presentations from industry leaders and significant sources.

"'Getting it right' is not an easy thing to do in (covering) the world of religion," Otterson acknowledged at the start of his presentation. But, he said, "it is possible to get it right if we acknowledge two things: the importance of going to the source, and the pitfalls of stereotyping."

Otterson identified for the journalists what he considered the five most common stereotypes of members of the LDS Church — that they are not Christian, that they belong to a cult, that they are insular and secretive, that they are weird and that they practice polygamy.

"Ask a Mormon, and he or she will agree readily that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not part of 'traditional Christianity' or 'historical Christianity,'" Otterson said. "(But) that is not the same as saying that Latter-day Saints are not Christian."

Otterson explained that members of the church are troubled when they are described as not Christian "because that suggests we are not followers of Jesus Christ, and Christ's divinity is a foundational belief in our faith."

Otterson was joined during the session by Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of Evangelicals in Civic Life. He recommended to the journalists that whatever group they are reporting on, try to find out what they are like at their best, and what they are like at their worst.

"Then compare," Cromartie said. "That's where you'll find the truth."