Our Biggest Challenge This Year

The editor of the Lodi News-Sentinel asked his religion editor (Ross Farrow) to visit a Mormon church and see how the members felt about the current situation in Texas where dozens of FLDS children being raised in a polygamist environment were being extracted from their homes. Knowing that this would be a hot issue, DPA (Director of Public Affairs) Ann Kerr arranged a special meeting with him and prepared the participants on how to answer sensitive questions that would probably be asked about polygamy.

Those invited were Bishop Eric Shields (to answer documentary questions, and speak to the history of polygamy in the church); Joesph Anderson (PA rep from the stake presidency); Adelle Barrette (Stake PA media director); Carol Stewart (a mother with teenage children); Heather McCauley (a mother with young children); Noelle Anderson (an outstanding teenager); and Ann Kerr as the moderator.

Ann began the meeting by reading The Family Proclamation" illustrated with slides from her family's proclamation book. To see the slides click here. The meeting was a great success and resulted in a fairly long and fair story. To read the entire story click here.

The story received more comment-posts than the Sentinel has ever received (over 600)--positive and negative, resulting in the editor writing an editorial about how people should get off the Mormons' case, as we are outstanding people. He commented particularly on the Family History Center and called it our gift to the community. Read it here.

Ross Farrow received several personal emails about what a terrible reporter he was and how he should get his facts straight. Ann Kerr wrote a letter to the editor which was published thanking Ross for his excellent story and saying how proud we are to share the FHC with the community and that "our goal is to build strong families and bind them together with their ancestors."

Needless to say, we were consumed with this story for about a month. We're proud of the way we handled it, including the damage control. We're proud of the positive way leaders in the community are accepting us.