Good and Bad PR

Public Relations Campaign Real Focus On The Return Of Their Children?

by Michelle

In the midst of the latest controversy surrounding the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound in Texas, the usually silent religious sect has broken its own boundaries and launched a public relations push clearly aimed to tug at the heartstrings of America.

On April 3, state officials raided the Yearning For Zion (YFZ) ranch in San Angelo, Texas after a 16-year-old girl called a domestic abuse hotline alleging that she was a member of this polygamous sect and had been physically and emotionally abused by her much older husband. Officials have been unable to locate the girl who called and FLDS denies that the girl even exists. The call was, however, enough for state officials to enter YFZ ranch, removing more than 400 children and placing them into the care of Child Protective Services, who in a court decision last week, have been given temporary care of them. Their mothers, who were previously allowed to come with them, have been sent back to the YFZ compound in hopes that the children will be more open with state officials if their mothers are not with them.

In response to the raid, FLDS has created a public relations campaign to gain sympathy and attempt to humanize the sect, rather than continue to separate themselves from the general population. The mothers of many of the girls taken in the raid have appeared on national television broadcasts , such as Oprah, The Today Show and CNN, begging for their daughters to be returned and condemning Child Protective Services for their actions. The women describe the raid in heartbreaking detail and emphasize that their only focus is on the return of their children.

In addition to the public outcry, FLDS has done the unprecedented by allowing media into the YFZ compound. The sect opened their gates for two days to media who got a tour of the grounds and were able to look inside houses and church school– something unheard of until now.

In the end, it seems that FLDS’ campaign is working. It had divided Americans between condemning these women for their actions and sympathizing with them as victims; between believing that FLDS is wrong and agreeing that they have the right to live as they please. The bottom line is, something is better than nothing – silence would only make FLDS appear guilty. But, in a culture where public life is openly dictated by the male population, how reliable is the information we get from FLDS? And is this public relations machine really focused on the return of their children – or protecting the tarnished reputation of a polygamous religious sect already separated from the rest of America?

Permalink |  Save on del.ico.us

Commenting is closed for this article.