"Secret Combinations" at Interpreter's Annual Party?
Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2026 6:37 pm
While folks are certainly correct to point out the many problems related to the Interpreter President's refusal to plan out a nice, celebratory, catered dinner for the Interpreter Foundation's many volunteers and donors, I was struck by something else. Namely, that the entire event is apparently going to take place under a cloak of secrecy:
And what are all the far-flung volunteers and donors supposed to do here, just go and suck eggs, since these orders came down directly from the Brethren? I mean, don't they deserve to hear about what the official Church is up to in the realm of "Reputation Management"? (Or maybe the idea is that the Church is going to muscle in on Interpreter and insist that the organization clean up its act and quit causing embarrassment? I.e., "Get down there and plug that cannon!")
I cannot help but think back to the frequently-leveled complaint that the Church has tried on many occasions to conceal or hide its activities, history, doctrines, and so forth. This would seem to be yet another case where that criticism applies. And sure: I realize that the Mopologists will say, "Nuh uh! It's not secret! You can attend in person!!" But we are living well into the 21st century, where streaming technology is easily accessible, and moreover, the Afore likes to boast about how the current LDS Church membership is primarily non-US-based. But this event will be limited *only* to those who are in the Orem area. So, shall we compromise then, and calls this semi-secret?
Quite a disquieting development, in any case.
Quite a striking arrangement, no? We got the "Director of Reputation Management" here, speaking to what you would assume is a "friendly" audience, and yet the attendees and organization are *totally barred* from streaming or recording the talk? What's going on here? Of special note is the Afore's observation that the Church "likes...to control its message." So are we therefore left to assume that the Church does not trust Interpreter?On the whole, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints generally declines to have speeches or presentations by its leaders or ranking employees put online by other organizations or individuals. It likes, understandably, to control its message. Our speaker this year is Derek Westra, the Church’s Director of Reputation Management. Accordingly, although the event will be open to the public, his remarks will neither be streamed nor recorded. I’ve heard him speak to his topic before, though, and have always found his report and his insights extremely interesting.
And what are all the far-flung volunteers and donors supposed to do here, just go and suck eggs, since these orders came down directly from the Brethren? I mean, don't they deserve to hear about what the official Church is up to in the realm of "Reputation Management"? (Or maybe the idea is that the Church is going to muscle in on Interpreter and insist that the organization clean up its act and quit causing embarrassment? I.e., "Get down there and plug that cannon!")
I cannot help but think back to the frequently-leveled complaint that the Church has tried on many occasions to conceal or hide its activities, history, doctrines, and so forth. This would seem to be yet another case where that criticism applies. And sure: I realize that the Mopologists will say, "Nuh uh! It's not secret! You can attend in person!!" But we are living well into the 21st century, where streaming technology is easily accessible, and moreover, the Afore likes to boast about how the current LDS Church membership is primarily non-US-based. But this event will be limited *only* to those who are in the Orem area. So, shall we compromise then, and calls this semi-secret?
Quite a disquieting development, in any case.
