Many people have speculated online that the reason for this "new openness" by the Church concerning sensitive topics is due to an election year and all the attacks the Church is receiving because Romney happens to be an LDS member. Well, the Church, through it's news department explains why, it also linked to other sites where they have seen information posted (such as blogs) which shows, the Church checks a lot of LDS-oriented sites and what members are saying.
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A forthcoming article on the Mountain Meadows Massacre in the official Church publication Ensign was recently posted on the Newsroom and LDS.org Web sites. Many readers, commenting on these sites, have indicated how much they appreciate the forthright and direct tone of the article and the detailed information it provided. Some have suggested that the article signals a "new openness" by the Church and have speculated that such "openness" can be attributed to intense media scrutiny of the Church during a political season or to certain individuals or particular departments at Church headquarters. In fact, the Church is responding to the rapidly changing news and information of today's world. The Internet and other new or 'social" media formats, such as blogs, have brought to the public a huge number of information sources that are updated constantly and that allow for more clarity, context and detailed information. These are significant developments that have brought new communication opportunities to the Church through its Web sites. For instance, the Newsroom interview on same-gender attraction with Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Lance B. Wickman allowed a sensitive topic to be explored carefully and openly, outside of the time and space limitations of television and print media. Posting the Mountain Meadows article on the Church Web site made available to anyone a summary of the most thorough scholarship on the topic. In addition, information on official Church Web sites is reliable and consistent with the doctrines and policies of the Church. All materials on Newsroom and other Church Web sites are carefully reviewed and approved before they are posted.... |