How should Latter-day Saints respond when a reporter might occasionally get it wrong? What should be done when the Church and its members are portrayed in a way that has Church members scratching their heads and saying, "That's not who we are!"
From time to time journalists report on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members (sometimes called Mormons). Prominent members of the Church, such as Mitt Romney, Stephenie Meyers and Will Hopoate, generate even more attention from the media.
Alex Powell, a member of the Church's Finley Branch, Wangaratta District, has watched media coverage of the Church for over thirty years. In fact, he writes, "as a convert who joined the Church because Channel Nine aired 'The Family and Other Living Things' way back in 1978, I have always watched and kept a close eye on the way the Church is represented in the media."
Rather than get upset if there is misreporting, Alex suggests that Church members have "the perfect opportunity to discuss doctrine."
"How quickly we forget that a soft answer turns away wrath and that the same soft answer can even invite the spirit," he says.
In an article titled 'Guidelines and helps for Latter-day Saints participating in online conversations about the Church,' it states: "When discussing the Church on the Internet, it's helpful to keep the following in mind:
• You're speaking as an individual member of the Church, sharing personal perspectives. Don't leave an impression that you are speaking officially for the Church. It's your own experiences that will be insightful and interesting.
• Be friendly and polite, even if you comment anonymously. Act like you would if you were talking to your next door neighbor. How you comment may be just as important as what you say.
• What helps the most are thoughtful and measured voices that explain the Church and what it's like to be a member."
It is also important for Latter-day Saints to empathise with the challenge of journalists reporting on the Church or its members, who are working to deadlines and are not familiar with Church doctrine and history. The Church's Newsroom website puts it this way:
"Much misunderstanding about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revolves around its doctrine. The news media is increasingly asking what distinguishes the Church from other faiths, and reporters like to contrast one set of beliefs with another.
The Church welcomes inquisitiveness, but the challenge of understanding Mormon doctrine is not merely a matter of accessing the abundant information available. Rather, it is a matter of how this information is approached and examined.
The doctrinal tenets of any religion are best understood within a broad context, and thoughtful analysis is required to understand them. News reporters pressed by daily deadlines often find that problematic."
LDS Newsroom offers some principles to journalists seeking to understand the doctrine and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For example, "Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four 'standard works' of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted."
Read more here.