Bias and narratives in the Joseph Smith Papers

In the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding, I'm hopeful for continual improvement of the Joseph Smith Papers (JSP). 

Yesterday I did a podcast with Mormon Book Reviews to introduce an ongoing problem to a wider audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU5x4F2ZK2I&t=3s

The Joseph Smith Papers project is a phenomenal resource for everyone interested in the history of the Restoration. I regularly encourage people to access and use the site.

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/

My books, blogs, podcasts and presentations cite the Joseph Smith Papers more than any other source. The editors have done an outstanding job collecting, organizing, and presenting the historical source material.

Most of the editorial content is also excellent. The original documents feature a Source Note and Historical Introduction that provide context and detailed information. Notes embedded in the transcripts also provide useful context and cross-references.

However...

For some time now I have urged the JSP editors to recognize and correct the problems that have arisen from a surely innocent yet unmistakable bias and narrative about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon that influences the editorial decisions and content. Like the Gospel Topics Essays, the JSP editorial bias and narrative promotes SITH and accommodates M2C at the expense of accurate and complete information for readers.  

I've documented several examples (see links in the video and below).

Another problem is the failure to update the online content to reflect new discoveries (see links below).

While I recognize that the bias cannot be corrected in the printed books, they can be easily and quickly corrected in the online content, which is by far the most used resource.

For the benefit of clarity, I hope the JSP editors will conduct a careful and thorough review of the editorial comments and notes that implicate the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.

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Most of the examples I've posted on my ldshistoricalnarratives blog.

Some examples:

- Converting theories into statements of fact: JSP introduction to Vol. 1:

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2024/08/joseph-smith-papers-intro-to-vol-1.html

- Omitting Oliver's essays on Church history:

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2024/08/joseph-smith-papers-1831-conference.html

- Outdated narratives:

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2023/08/u-in-elders-journal-outdated-narratives.html