Two Chicago daily newspapers have become the latest major media outlets to take a close look at members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as public interest in Mormon beliefs and practices remains high.
The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times both ran stories that appeared on successive days - the Tribune on Sunday and the Sun-Times this morning.
"I don't ever remember a time when the two biggest papers ran such large stories so close together," said Marvin Evans, the Church's spokesman in Chicago. "Both news reports did well in setting aside misperceptions about the Church and letting members speak for themselves."
Evans said it was obvious that presidential campaign politics was adding to the interest, but both newspapers understood the Church's position of partisan political neutrality. "It just wasn't an issue for them in the stories," he said.
Margaret Ramirez, the Chicago Tribune religion reporter, met with Mormons in the Chicago area, including a Church convert from Ghana who served a mission in England and high school students who attend an early-morning religion class. In her report, "Mormons on a Mission to Tell Their Story," members talk about their own faith.
During an online news conference earlier this month, Church representatives urged religion reporters to invite the Church into the ongoing national conversation about the 13-million-member faith.
A Chicago Sun-Times reporter chose to spend time with Mormons who are single and between the ages of 18 and 30 - examining the Church's worship services available to this unmarried group of students and professionals in the article "Some Mormons Try Singles-Only Church."
Also on Saturday, the Kansas City Star ran a large story about the Church's latest advertising effort, which invites readers to watch short videos on www.mormons.org from Church members expressing - spontaneously and unscripted - their personal feelings about their faith.