The worst headlines were these: — “In a reversal, the Mormon Church now opposes Utah’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban” (Patheos) — “Utah rule likely to ban LGBTQ conversion therapy despite objections of influential church” (KSLA) The church did not reverse its position on a conversion therapy ban nor did it object to banning it. Instead, the initial proposed legislation the church did not oppose in February was replaced by a proposed licensing rule this fall that does not include what church leaders believe are important protections for therapists and clients of faith. Some headline writers saw the word “opposed” and didn’t read any farther. That’s increasingly problematic in a world where many people don’t read past the headlines as they scroll through their Facebook and Twitter feeds. The following are better headlines, albeit it with the same church name problem: — Mormon Church opposes Utah’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban, calling it overreaching (HuffPost) This one is the most accurate: — Mormon Church says it opposes conversion therapy, but is concerned about rule to limit it (Metro News) These kinds of headline issues crop up regularly in covering the church. Most notably, headline writers struggle to portray accurately the church’s position in support of nondiscrimination laws for LGBTQ people and, last year, the church’s position in support of legislation legalizing medical marijuana. The internet is driving journalists to work faster as news arrives, and we post it online as quickly as possible. It remains vital that we do it responsibly, and that responsibility begins with the headlines. |