Journalism and faith

We believe.... From a young age we learn the articles of faith. These small declarations become and make up a lot of what we believe in the LDS church.  As our testimonies grow, the doctrines and teachings of the church become something much more than just beliefs, but they become who we are.

I remember in high school talking to my friends about my standards.  They didn't understand that I was who I was, because of my beliefs.  I think as reporters it's hard to get away from that, because our beliefs become who we are.  It's just as much a part of us as the color of our skin or where we come from.  It becomes a part of world view.  As discussed in class, it's pretty much impossible to remain objective.  I will most likely always have my LDS view and spin on the stories I report (whether I know it or not.)  It just happens. I like soft news and things that are happy.  Stories that draw families closer and leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling are what I would most like to tell.  Of course that isn't purely because of my beliefs, but it does play a large part in how I would report it and what I would report. I think for me, it would be extremely hard to report on something about the church in an objective way.  My beliefs are just too deep, as well as my loyalties.Testimony-of-the-Book-of-Mormon

The question was asked, "Why do you believe reporters often have difficulties reporting about religion and faith?"  Why?  Because a lot of times you don't understand what other religions believe, how deep the culture runs or why they are the way they are. Religion is a tricky subject because it's something people feel very passionately about, because it is so much apart of who they are. When people don't understand why we are doing something, then they put it in their point of view.  Make sense?  Since I don't know exactly what Buddhist believe, then it would make it hard for me to write about them accurately.  I liked what was said in class and in the books that we should let them define themselves. The whole proposition 8 thing was a good example of others not know how to report about Mormons. A quick google search of "prop 8 mormon" brings up these results. Mormons seemed to have been targeted and pick out compared to all others protesting and supporting prop 8.  There was even an anti-mormon documentary created called 8: The Mormon Proposition.

I think it's safe to say that when people don't understand, they can't report the facts, because they don't know them! Best option, find out as much as you can about a religion you are going to report on, then come with an open mind and allow them to define who they are.