Extracted from Colombia University’s Conference on Mormonism and American Politics: 

With a Mormon candidate for the presidency and the unprecedented media attention given to Mormons recently, this conference takes a broad view of the history of Mormon participation in American political life, from Joseph Smith’s 1844 run for the presidency to the Reed Smoot trials of the early 20th century and to the rise of Ezra Taft Benson during the Eisenhower administration, which ushered in a new era of Mormon identification with the Republican Party.

Speakers included: Randall Balmer, Richard Bushman, Claudia Bushman, Joanna Brooks, Matthew Bowman,Sarah Barringer Gordon, Jan Shipps, Trevor Hill, Meredith LeSueur, David Campbell, Russel Arben Fox, Max Perry Mueller, Philip Barlow, and Peggy Fletcher Stack. 

Moderated and organized by Randall Balmer and Jana Riess. Sponsored by the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life.

Mormonism and the Media: Peggy Fletcher Stack on how reporters can be right and still get it wrong