|
Summarized by Kent Larsen
Crime Story's Focus Offends LDS Church
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- The LDS Church objected on Friday, August 11th to
national news coverage of a gristly San Francisco are murder, suggesting
that the coverage shouldn't have mentioned the alleged perpetrator's former
membership in the Church. The Associated Press and other news organizations
have carried the story about the murder of Saline Bishop, daughter of Blues
musician Elvin Bishop, and an elderly couple.
Two brothers are accused of the murders in what appears to be an attempt to
extort money from the elderly couple for drugs. Glenn Taylor Helzer, 30, and
Justin Helzer, 28, both served LDS missions in the early 1990s, according to
information confirmed by the LDS Church, but they both "were excommunicated
due to their drug use." A third suspect, Dawn Godman, a roommate of the
brothers, has been inactive for more than a year, according to the Church.
The Church's objection to the Associated Press' article, which mentioned the
brother's former Church membership in the second paragraph, led the
Associated Press to review the story and conclude that its coverage was in
error. A follow-up article on Friday relegated the Church connection to the
23rd paragraph.
"The family members [of the suspects] initially identified them as Mormons
and we made a mistake in giving it undue prominence," said the Associated
Press' corporate spokeswoman Janis Magin. "It was inappropriate to use this
reference high in the story. The AP has now dropped reference to their
religion to a lower context, when used. The AP tries to be sensitive to
religious issues," Magin added. "We don't mention church affiliation except
when it is relevant in the context of personal background." The Friday
follow-up article was carried in the LDS Church-owned Deseret News, which
kept the mention of the suspect's LDS Church affiliation in the article.
Meanwhile, other newspapers have continued to examine the Mormon background
of the suspects, including the San Francisco Chronicle, which published an
article detailing the brother's change from active missionaries to
excommunication for their drug use. LDS Church spokesman Dale Bills told the
Salt Lake Tribune that the Church was initially concerned over the local
coverage, turning to alarm at the Associated Press story because of its
national distribution. The Church insists that the affiliation of the
accused is "in no way germane to the current allegations against them. We
object to media using this as an identifying characteristic."
Experts in journalistic ethics contacted by the Salt Lake Tribune called the
decision to mention the suspects' Mormon background a tough call. "You can
understand [the church's] sensitivity, but it's not just that they were
former members of the religion, they were missionaries," said J.J. McGrath,
acting managing editor of periodical publishing industry magazine Editor &
Publisher. "You wouldn't say 'former Catholic or former Lutheran,' but the
missionary part is just interesting. You don't get a lot of former
missionaries who are suspected mass killers," he added. "It is a close call,
but I can see why they did it." Mike Hoyt, senior editor of the Columbia
Journalism Review agrees, "It always depends on the context. [But] it seems
a bit odd. . . . It sort of comes out of left field unless there's a direct
relationship."
LDS Church spokesman Dale Bills says that he hopes journalists will learn
from the incident. "There is no reason to associate these suspects with the
good name of the church or the well-established reputation of our
missionaries. We routinely remind journalists that inclusion of an
individual's religious affiliation in a story must be relevant. To avoid
negative stereotyping, the same relevancy requirement applies to mentioning
race, national origin or ethnicity."
However, local coverage of the continuing investigation in the San Francisco
Chronicle since the Church raised its objection continues to mention the LDS
Church connection, although not as prominently.
Sources:
Crime Story's Focus Offends LDS Church
Salt Lake Tribune 12Aug00 N1
By Bob Mims: Salt Lake Tribune
Suspects' aunt tells of their family life
San Francisco Examiner 10Aug00 D2
By Marianne Costantinou: Examiner Staff
|
