For Church, Olympics have begun
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With his knowledge of Norwegian and her knowledge of Dutch, it was a simple decision for Karl and Maria Seljaas of the North Salt Lake Utah Stake to volunteer as media hosts during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
"We just decided to do it, and filled out an application," Brother Seljaas said.
Like hundreds of others who are willing to share their language and people talents to help foreign and domestic journalists during the Olympics, they gathered Jan. 5 to learn something about the enormity of their assignment.
Gauging the interest of the media a month before the Games indicates the press will descend on Salt Lake City with "an intensity of coverage that is extraordinary," said Michael Otterson of the Public Affairs Department. "We will only see more of this as we get closer to the Games."
"They are coming, and coming, and coming," said Kim Farah also of the Church's public affairs department, describing the onslaught of journalists.
To give a sense of what is happening, Brother Otterson noted how 18 media appointments from such groups as "The Today Show," and National Geographic were set for the coming week. To contrast with other years, he told of periods when the Church has gone months without requests.
Fielding questions and requests from so many journalists poses a staggering challenge for the Church. At least 8,000 accredited journalists are expected to cover the games. Thousands more are expected to be dispatched to gather background and feature stories. An estimated 80 percent of journalists are expected to come from Europe.
To dramatize the burden of dealing with some many media personnel, Brother Otterson noted how the greatest media requests the Church has ever known came in 1997 during the re-enactment of the Pioneer trek from a mere 300 journalists.
The role of volunteers during the Games is to inform and educate, he said, but not proselytize.
Media volunteers will work out of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where a news resource center will be created in the Nauvoo reception room. There, journalists will be able to learn about the Church depending on their level of interest. Those who wish to conduct interviews or tour Church sites will be assigned a media host who will escort them to such places as the Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center or the Family History Library.
While they will not act as spokesmen for the Church, the media hosts will help arrange interviews with those assigned to explain Church history, doctrine or processes.
Since the events of Sept. 11, journalistic inquiries about the Church have taken a different perspective. "There seems to be an interest in traditional values," said Sister Farah, "and they see the Church practicing what it preaches. The memorial services held after the tragedy by the Tabernacle Choir and First Presidency were broadcast widely and helped many find peace.
"We're not hearing criticisms we used to hear," she continued. A journalist from California recently wrote an article debunking misconceptions of the Church's effort to limit alcohol availability. A writer in Denver said "Mormon bashing" was unfair. A travel writer in Oregon wrote an insightful article detailing the Church's history of sacrifice.
The media fascination with the Church continues, said Brother Otterson during the training session. Major news magazines, as well as newspapers and network and cable stations, have presented in-depth looks at the Church and tried to explain its robust growth. One of the most recent broadcasts was a 15-minute segment by CBS on 60 Minutes II featuring the Tabernacle Choir.
Media crews preparing for the Olympics are particularly interested in seeing members worshiping in Church and how they live at home, said Sister Farah. "My bishop and his family have been video taped six times during family home evening."
A television crew from British Columbia recorded the Tabernacle Choir during its weekly broadcast Sunday morning. They were then whisked away to nearby North Salt Lake where they recorded portions of a fast and testimony meeting of the Eagle Wood Ward.
"The people have been friendly and the streets are wide and clean," said Brian Coxford of the British Columbia news crew. "I like the grid system of the city."
His reaction mirrors the response of many media visitors, continued Sister Farah. The early response from journalists is that they feel comfortable about the area and the hospitality of the people."
The city is taking on a festive air. Large murals depicting Olympic events are being draped from tall buildings. Street lamps have been given a shining new coat of black lacquer.
Still, all journalists' reports will not be favorable, cautioned President Hinckley on Sept. 9 when he addressed the CES Fireside Broadcast. "Much of it is likely to be negative," he said. "Journalists may mock that which to us is sacred. . . . But I want to tell you that what they write will not injure us. We may be offended by it, but the work will go forward."
E-mail: shaun@desnews.com
