Summer Bias, Bright Spots and Laughs

Observing the coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this

summer has been like observing a three-ring circus when the elephants get

loose.The church is still reeling from the negative implications of the

FLDS Texas compound raid. National Public Radio, PR Week, The Associated Press and the church itself reported about the LDS-FLDS confusion among

Americans.  That said, the church is still a target of biased

journalism coming from arrogance, ignorance and just plain lazy reporting.Accidental touristsKevin Brooker of the Calgary Herald visited Temple Square and

wrote his "ponderings" in a column that has stirred reaction among Saints (and also here) in Alberta.Among other things he wrote; "I probably don't have to tell you that Mormon

theology is arcane and, frankly, astonishing in its claims. But is it any more

so than that of the mainstream Christianity which often derides it?"Then Brooker makes a big leap from Temple Square to the FLDS Texas case and

"Big Love."Temple Square was also the scene of another example of biased "parachute

journalism" where reporters drop in for a quick story without checking their

facts. In a recent travel story, Joanna Walters from the New Zealand Herald gave readers a litany of negative

descriptions about the church and Temple Square including "offbeat," "bizarre,"

"squeamish," "zealous" and "nervous."  So where is the balance and

objectivity?  She should have stuck to the virtues of the ski slopes.

Here's a sample of what Walters wrote:"It is not unusual for foreign visitors to be squeamish about this offbeat

religion, but rather than tiptoe around the subject all week, it is easier to

plunge in and take a stroll around the temple's grounds, reading the plaques

that explain its bizarre origins."Ironically, Brooker and Walters were only steps away from sources that could

have helped balance their writing. But don't let the facts get in the way of a