{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{BLP sources|date=March 2012}}<!-- All of the current references are either quoting him directly as a spokesperson, were written by him, or include him only as a passing mention. None of these sources focus on him personally, as one or more of the main topics of the work being cited. --> '''Michael R. Otterson'''<ref name= "NYT 2008-11-14">{{cite book |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/politics/15marriage.html?fta=y |newspaper= The New York Times |date= 14 November 2008 |title= Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage |first1= Jesse |last1= McKinley |first2= Kirk |last2= Johnson }}</ref> was the managing director of Public Affairs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 2008 to 2016. In April 2016, the church announced that he would retire at the end of August 2016 and be replaced by Richard E. Turley, Jr.<ref name="2016 Turley">{{citation |url= https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/richard-turley-jr-new-managing-director-church-public-affairs |title= Richard E. Turley Jr. Appointed as New Managing Director of Church Public Affairs: Michael Otterson to retire after 40 years with department |work= Newsroom |publisher= LDS Church |date= 2016-04-26 }}</ref> On 1 November 2016, he began a new assignment, along with his wife, as president and matron of the London England Temple.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865653132/New-temple-presidents.html?pg=all |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160504215032/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865653132/New-temple-presidents.html?pg=all |url-status= dead |archive-date= 4 May 2016 |title= New temple presidents |newspaper= Church News |date= April 28, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Morgan|title=Michael Otterson, former managing director of LDS Public Affairs, called to serve as president of the London England Temple|url=https://www.deseret.com/2016/5/9/20587986/michael-otterson-retiring-managing-director-of-lds-public-affairs-called-to-serve-as-president-of-th/|date= May 6, 2016|access-date=8 May 2016|publisher=Deseret News}}</ref>
== Biography ==
Otterson is a convert to the LDS Church. Born in Liverpool, England and educated in Britain, he entered journalism in his native city of Liverpool before moving to Australia where he worked as a political reporter and sub-editor in South Australia and Canberra. Following a year's stint as a sub-editor on the ''Japan Times'' in Tokyo, he returned to the UK and was appointed Business Editor for the ''Liverpool Daily Post''.
In 1976 he left journalism to manage the London public affairs office of the LDS Church,<ref>{{cite book |newspaper= Church News |date= 20 July 1991 |title= Choir's media impact |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1991-07-20/choirs-media-impact-4126 }}</ref> which was then the only such office outside of the United States. He remained there until 1979 as Public Relations director for the LDS Church in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{cite book |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EJ1YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VYADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4652%2C2690350 |newspaper= Church News insert, Deseret News |date= 10 February 1979 |title= Osmonds draw 3,000 to fireside in London |first= Michael |last= Otterson }}</ref> when the church invited him to move back to Australia to open a new public affairs office in Sydney.<ref>{{cite news |last= Redmond |first= Ron |title= Mormon Missionaries Working Hard |work= Sarasota Herald-Tribune |agency= (UPI) |date= 5 June 1982 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2uchAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I2gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3244%2C2203077 |accessdate= 17 March 2010}}</ref> He remained in that post for 12 years before moving to the United States in 1991 to manage the worldwide training program for church public affairs operations. He managed the church's news media relations<ref>Listed as LDS Church spokesman: {{cite book |url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SLTB&p_theme=sltb&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=100F2AC1B42FA891&p_field_direct-0=document_id |title= Church Funds Initiative to Ban Same-Sex Marriages in Alaska |first= Bob |last= Mims |date= 5 October 1998 |newspaper= The Salt Lake Tribune |format= paywall }}.</ref> from 1997 to 2008, when he became managing director of LDS public affairs. Otterson has served twice as a stake president – in Liverpool<ref>{{cite book |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1992-08-29/gateway-to-zion-5152 |title= Gateway to Zion |date= 29 August 1992 |newspaper= Church News }}</ref> and in Sydney.<ref>{{cite book |newspaper= Church News |date= 3 August 1991 |title= New stake presidencies |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1991-08-03/new-stake-presidencies-4168 }}</ref>
== Statements ==
In 2003 Otterson responded to a ''Newsweek'' article about the LDS Church, taking issue with its characterisation of the LDS Church as acting on superficial instead of deeply held beliefs.<ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/862055/Church-criticizes-article-in-journal.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121019211945/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/862055/Church-criticizes-article-in-journal.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 19 October 2012 |date= 3 September 2001 |newspaper= Deseret News |title= Church criticizes article in journal |first= Donna Kemp |last= Spangler }}</ref> In 2003, Otterson was also the LDS Church's main point man in its response to Jon Krakauer's book on Mormonism, ''Under the Banner of Heaven''.<ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.seattlepi.com/books/132433_krakmormons28.html |title= LDS Church feels 'tarred' by the book |first= John |last= Marshall |date= 27 July 2003 |newspaper= Seattle Post-Intelligencer }} – article on the ''Under the Banner of Heaven'' debate</ref>
In 2005 Otterson downplayed John M. Haddow's attempt to make the exclusion of Mormons from the National Prayer Breakfast connected with the National Day of Prayer into an issue of concern.<ref>{{cite book |first= Nina J. |last= Easton |date= 30 August 2005 |title= Mormonism may sour Romney for some in Christian right |url= http://archive.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2005/08/30/mormonism_may_sour_romney_for_some_in_christian_right/ |newspaper= The Boston Globe |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080905192803/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2005/08/30/mormonism_may_sour_romney_for_some_in_christian_right/ |archive-date= 5 September 2008 }}.</ref>
He was engaged as early as 2006 in positioning the church as politically neutral in relation to Mitt Romney running for president and once wrote an article in which he argued that Romney's religion should be a non-issue. He also was very vocal in stating that the LDS Church would give no institutional support to Romney.
In 2008 Otterson confirmed that Proposition 8 was one of the initiatives the LDS Church had been most heavily involved in.<ref name= "NYT 2008-11-14" />
In late 2009 Otterson gained national attention by making an official statement for the LDS Church in the Salt Lake City Council meeting in favour of city ordinances that included sexual orientation and gender identity among categories covered in fair housing and fair employment regulations. A year later, on 12 October 2010, he delivered an official statement for the church on bullying of gay young men.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-mormon-responds-to-human-rights-campaign-petition-same-sex-attraction |contribution= Church Responds to HRC Petition: Statement on Same-Sex Attraction |title= News Release |work= MormonNewsroom.org |date= 12 October 2010 }}</ref>
Otterson has a regular blog published by ''The Washington Post'' on Mormon-related issues. Among topics he has addressed is the 2011 ''The Book of Mormon'' musical on Broadway.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/post/why-i-wont-be-seeing-the-book-of-mormon-musical/2011/04/14/AFiEn1fD_blog.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110820104952/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/post/why-i-wont-be-seeing-the-book-of-mormon-musical/2011/04/14/AFiEn1fD_blog.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 20 August 2011 | newspaper= The Washington Post |title= A Latter-day Saint view of Book of Mormon musical | date= 14 April 2011 |first= Michael |last= Otterson }}</ref>
== Writings ==
Besides periodical columns and various articles, Otterson is the author of ''Finding Your Family on the Internet: The Ultimate Guide to Online Family History Research'' ({{ISBN|1933317442}}).
== Notes == {{Reflist|2}}
==References== * {{cite magazine |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1562941-1,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061207081402/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1562941-1,00.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 7 December 2006 |magazine= Time Magazine |date= 26 November 2006 |title= A Mormon as President? |first= Mike |last= Allen }} * {{cite news |url= http://www.middletownjournal.com/lifestyle/ohio-churches-religion-faith/mormons-throw-support-behind-gay-rights-cause-396736.html |newspaper= The Middletown Journal |date= 11 November 2009 |title= Mormons throw support behind gay-rights cause |first= Eric |last= Gorski |agency= (AP) |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716091137/http://www.middletownjournal.com/lifestyle/ohio-churches-religion-faith/mormons-throw-support-behind-gay-rights-cause-396736.html |archivedate= 16 July 2011 }} * {{cite book |url= http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/10/19/romney_camp_consulted_with_mormon_leaders/ |date= 19 October 2006 |newspaper= The Boston Globe |title= Romney camp consulted with Mormon leaders |first1= Scott |last1= Helman |first2= Michael |last2= Levenson |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080511205551/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/10/19/romney_camp_consulted_with_mormon_leaders/ |archive-date= 11 May 2008 }}(article that mentions Otterson) * {{cite journal |url= http://www.meridianmagazine.com/arts/070430mormons.html |journal= Meridian Magazine |title= Arts & entertainment: The Mormons |first= Maurine Jensen |last= Proctor |date=May 2007 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080511193644/http://meridianmagazine.com/arts/070430mormons.html |archivedate= 11 May 2008}}(quotes Otterson)
== External links == * [http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/author/michael-otterson/ Otterson's blog] for "On Faith" at ''The Washington Post'' * [http://otterson.us/ Otterson's family history website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otterson, Michael}} Category:Australian journalists Category:Australian leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Category:Converts to Mormonism Category:English emigrants to Australia Category:English male journalists Category:English leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Category:Living people Category:Mormon bloggers Category:Journalists from Liverpool Category:Spokespersons Category:British public relations people Category:Australian public relations people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)