Church News
OCLC number 11655569 | | |
Website | www |
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The Church News (or LDS Church News) is a weekly
Content
The Church News is the official newspaper of the LDS Church,
The Church News does not carry advertisements in its pages, although it did in its first three issues and during 1959–60.[8] Despite higher prices than in other Deseret News sections, Church News ad space didn't make enough money, and it was felt that it detracted from the religious paper's dignity.[9] Instead, the section is financially supported by the rest of the Deseret News operations,[10] and high volume subscriptions.[11]
Features
A mainstay of the Church News is its continuing features that make up most of the paper.
The Church News publishes semiannual issues on the LDS Church's general conferences, but only prints brief reports of the sermons and announcements,[13] unlike the Ensign and Conference Report, other church publications which circulate later and print full transcripts.[14]
Tone and coverage
The Church News' purpose has been stated to "build testimonies and uplift its readers." In doing this it focuses on inspirational and motivational stories in a graphics-heavy format.
Since the paper and the church are both based in Salt Lake City, much Church News coverage over the years has been Utah-centric, earning it the nickname "This Week in Utah" by some Australian readers.[20] Its global focus has expanded as the paper attempts to showcase the church's international activities.[21][22]
History
Since the Deseret News was founded in 1850, it reported news of the LDS Church in its regular issues. Minutes of
Starting in 1981, the Church News was retitled LDS Church News: News of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[25] but today it is usually referred to as Church News or LDS Church News.
Distribution
In 1943, the paper became available through a special Saturday-only Deseret News subscription, which allowed the paper to eventually surpass the regular Deseret News circulation by 12,000.
Features and format
Starting in 1948, large photos were used for each issue's cover.
The editorials became one of the most noticeable features of the Church News. Longtime Deseret News editor and LDS Church apostle Mark E. Petersen wrote for the Church News since its 1931 beginning,[32] and in 1943 started his own weekly editorial.[33] In 1948, these moved to the back page,[31] where they remained until Petersen died in 1984 and they were replaced by staff-written "Viewpoints." Because of his church authority and the paper's religious intent, it was unclear whether these editorials constituted official church positions.[31] Petersen wrote on a variety of topics, including secular and controversial subjects like politics.[34] In the 1970s, his editorials came out against the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA),[35] which ended up establishing the LDS Church's position and changing modest LDS support for the amendment into firm opposition.[36]
When former chief photographer of the Deseret News
In the early 1970s, the Church News began carrying historical sketches written by members of the LDS Church Historical Department. Around 1977, following high-profile criticisms of Historical Department work, the paper replaced these with staff-written "Vignettes of Faith" and avoided reviews of new major historical publications.[17]
Internet
In 1995, the Church News went online,[38] with subscription-only access,[39] with archives available back to 1988. In 2008 the website was redesigned and free access was then granted to non-subscribers.
In 2014, the Church News website, LDSChurchNews.com, was moved to DeseretNews.com, to integrate with the technology improvements being made on the Deseret News website. At the time, an archives site was created at ldschurchnewsarchive.com.[40]
Editors
No. | Name | Start | End | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
James R. Kennard (acting) | 1931 | 1931 | Kennard was the Deseret News Saturday feature editor before the Church News had a full-time editor.[41] | |
1 | Henry A. Smith | 1931 | 1968 | Smith was the Deseret News' church editor before being appointed over the Church News in September.[41] He served in this position for over 30 years, then was called to be the press secretary to the First Presidency.[42] |
John R. Talmage, Conrad B. Harrison (acting) | 1939 | 1940 | Talmage and Harrison were editors while Smith temporarily served as wire editor for the Deseret News.[43] | |
Edwin O. Haroldsen, S. Perry Lee, Merwin G. Fairbanks (acting) | 1956 | 1959 | These men filled in for Smith while he was president of the Central Atlantic States Mission.[42] | |
2 | Jack E. Jarrard | 1968 | 1969 | Jarrard served for about a year before becoming a field correspondent.[44] |
3 | J Malan Heslop | 1969[37] | 1976 | Heslop had been Deseret News chief photographer and was charged with improving Church News visual design.[44] |
4 | Dell Van Orden | 1976 | 1999 | Van Orden had been Church News assistant editor, and carried on Heslop's efforts when Heslop became Deseret News managing editor.[45] |
5 | Gerry Avant | 1999 | 2017[46] | Avant, associate editor since 1988, became the Church News' first female editor when Van Orden retired.[3] |
6 | Sarah Jane Weaver | 2017 | current | Weaver, associate editor since 1995, became the Church News' editor when Avant retired. |
Church Almanac
Continuing in the tradition of Mormon
With access to records and the LDS Church Historical Department,
In 2009, the almanac consolidated and modified most sections to improve design and dramatically reduce size. The new format included many more visuals, as well as expanded biographies of First Presidency members. State, province, and country history was supplemented with additional church area information.[51] This local information returned in later editions.[54]
The Deseret News has not published the almanac since the 2013 edition. With no further editions planned, the almanac has ostensibly been discontinued, though the Deseret News has not formally commented on the matter.[48]
Notes
- ^ Roberts 1983, pp. 4–5
- ^ "Contact Us". LDSChurchNews.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ a b Lloyd, R. Scott (April 1, 2006). "Telling the story: Church News celebrates 75 years of publication". Church News. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 7)
- ^ The Church News web site states it is the "Authorized News Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," as found at "LDS Church News". Deseret News Publishing Company. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- ^ "Ask the editor: Why 'Mormon' Times?". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. January 24, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- Mormon Times. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 42)
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 44)
- ^ a b c Lloyd, R. Scott (April 6, 1991). "Church News has filled 'unique role' for 60 years". Church News. Deseret News. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 43)
- ^ "Features". Church News. Deseret News. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- S2CID 254337523. Archived from the originalon June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 63)
- ^ (Swenson 1977, p. 53)
- ^ S2CID 254390816. Archived from the originalon June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c d (Swenson 1977, p. 54)
- ^ Nadig, Peter C. (Spring–Summer 2001). "Vielen Dank". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 34 (1, 2): 34. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- Sunstone. 16 (3): 5. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- S2CID 254391779. Archived from the originalon June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 34)
- ^ a b (Roberts 1983, p. 37)
- ^ ISBN 1-57345-660-8.
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 3)
- ^ Brigham Young University (BYU) library catalog for Church News and LDS Church News
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 36)
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 38)
- ^ BYU library catalog for Church Section
- ^ McCord, Keith (January 29, 2014). "Deseret News National Edition now available in Utah". KSL TV. Salt Lake City. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ Avent, Gerry (February 4, 2014). "Subscribe to Get Church News, Deseret News National Edition". churchofjesuschrist.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ a b c (Roberts 1983, p. 60)
- ^ "This week in Church history". Church News. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. January 3, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 58)
- S2CID 254391712. Archived from the originalon June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ Quinn, D. Michael (Fall 1994). "The LDS Church's Campaign Against the Equal Rights Amendment". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 20 (2): 106–7. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- S2CID 149823898. Archived from the originalon June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ a b Hart, John L. (October 23, 1999). "Glimpses of prophets through the window of the Church News". Church News. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ Holyoak, Trevor (December 27, 1995). "LDS Church News". BESTWEB. Ege University. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- Sunstone. 21 (2): 68. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ LDSChurchNews.com has moved to DeseretNews.com, Burke Olsen, Deseret News Reporter in article on DeseretNews.com April 2, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
- ^ a b (Roberts 1983, p. 47)
- ^ a b (Roberts 1983, p. 53)
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 50)
- ^ a b (Roberts 1983, p. 54)
- ^ (Roberts 1983, p. 55)
- ^ Lloyd, R. Scott (April 27, 2017). "Career of retiring LDS Church News editor started at a stop light". Church News. Deseret News. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ a b Van Orden, Dell (1992). "Almanacs". Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Vol. 1. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ a b Peggy Fletcher Stack (March 24, 2014). "New almanac offers look at the world of Mormon membership". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- ^ "Privy to details: The 2009 Church Almanac features expanded color photos and information". Church News. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News. November 29, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Deseret Book. Archived from the originalon October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ Deseret Book. Archived from the originalon August 15, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- Deseret Book. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ "2003 Church Almanac Released". Church in the News. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. March 3, 2003. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Rachel Brutsch (April 18, 2012). "LDS Church Almanac reflects growth, momentum". Mormon Times. Deseret News. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
Sources
- Heslop, "J" Malan (1992). "Church News". Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Vol. 1. Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- Swenson, Paul (Spring 1977). "Nostrums in the Newsroom: Raised Sights and Raised Expectations at the Deseret News". S2CID 254386573. Archived from the originalon June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- Roberts, Paul T. (August 1983). "A History of the Development and Objectives of the LDS Church News Section of the Deseret News". [Master's Thesis]. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, Department of Communications. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
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Further reading
- Weaver, Sarah Jane (April 1, 2006), "75 years of Church News", Church News