Well, I just blasted CNN (in an email on their comment page that may never be seen by anyone that can make a difference) for their unimpressive news segment this morning about Joseph Smith and early polygamy. Im including my email content below, so you can blast me if you feel I failed as a former journalist, or have anything you want to say in relation to the topic... I just needed to voice my frustration and take a stand. People know so little about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, why would they spend time in a 5-minute news segment on a controversial topic even members dont always fully understand? Because its sensational, thats why. Heres my email: (Obviously, only take time if youre interested in the topic) CNN: PLEASE, when broadcasting information about ANY religion or its supposed tenets, use the original source document for your details, as well as a spokesperson from the religion on which you are reporting. If you are not willing to do that much - essentially, that minimum - please dont bother. The Wednesday, Nov. 12 segment on Joseph Smith and the Mormon Churchs Admission was a disappointing example of sensationalized but unresearched news reporting. Filled with misrepresentations, speculation, and small but significant inaccuracies, the story served no purpose but to incite negative opinion toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the correct name of the church under scrutiny, NOT The Church of the Latter-Day Saints, as your commentator incorrectly referred to it - an easy mistake to avoid if you utilize your claimed source - its on the same website as the information on which you reported). First and foremost, why on earth did you choose not to use a spokesperson from the Church you are reporting on, rather than a general theologian?? Its as easy to obtain a spokesperson from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - acceptably referred to individually as Mormons, but NOT the Mormon Church - as it is to ask someone unaffiliated, so why would you make such a choice if you want your story to have credibility? Secondly, a good portion of your segment was merely speculative conversation, not reporting on the actual document on the Churchs website. You had the opportunity to quote directly from lds.org and its media-savvy pages, utilize an actual live source, and share factual information; instead, you chose to publicly discuss the whys and wherefores of a controversial topic with a non-source and by merely flashing images of Joseph Smith across the screen. One example of my frustration: Why did they lie? was one of the questions posed by your commentator to the non-source theologian; in fact, no lie was ever propagated. The fact that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage is widely known and always has been, if individuals took time to merely ask - or research. The Church of Jesus Christ has never hidden the practice, nor has it hidden the difficulty Joseph, Emma and many early members had with the concept. Though you didnt mention it, the practice of polygamy was ended the same way it began, according to the same website you mentioned - through guidance from God. Choosing not to believe that is anyones right; failing to present the belief of the Church you are featuring is incomplete coverage. The true news element here - the Churchs willingness to share this information, with additional details from Joseph Smiths historical records - was basically ignored, along with the Churchs amazing premise that marriage can be valid beyond mortal life. Perhaps most frustrating to me personally was your commentators blatant insinuation that the Church purveys a LIE that Joseph and Emma Smith as a couple enjoyed marital bliss, to use the word your commentator used. I accept that speculation about Joseph and Emma Smiths relationship is wide and varied; but a quality news report would NOT use speculation on an historical relationship as a main detail of a news segment. A genuine and meaningful discussion on such a relationship would require 1) more time than you could logically relegate in a morning news segment, and 2) a valid source of information, not degrading speculation. Anyone truly interested in the topic can get the relevant information at the highly public online source: https://lds.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng Thank you for your time. Karla J. Cox
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 16:15:08 +0000
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