In this interview with hosts John Dehlin and Gerardo Sumano, Tim Marchman and Anna Merlan discuss the controversies surrounding Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad (OUR). They explore the origins of Vice News stories, scrutinize responses from Tim Ballard and the Mormon Church, and delve into troubling allegations against Tim Ballard. These include inappropriate behavior toward women and his association with M. Russell Ballard’s name in connection with OUR.
The discussion reveals the challenges of responsible journalism when tackling sensitive topics like human trafficking. Marchman and Merlan highlight the complexities of undercover trafficking investigations and question the legitimacy of Tim Ballard’s mission.
This interview emphasizes the need for transparency and thorough investigation when handling allegations that could impact organizations dedicated to combating human trafficking. It underscores the importance of rigorous journalistic practices in evaluating complex and sensitive subjects.
- Vice News Website
- Vice Article – Tim Ballard’s Departure From Operation Underground Railroad Followed Sexual Misconduct Investigation
- Vice Article – Mormon Church Denounces Tim Ballard’s “Morally Unacceptable” Activities
- Vice Article – ‘Sound of Freedom’ Producer Felt the Naked Breasts of Apparently Underage Trafficking Victim
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Show Notes:
- Vice News Website
- Vice Article – Tim Ballard’s Departure From Operation Underground Railroad Followed Sexual Misconduct Investigation
- Vice Article – Mormon Church Denounces Tim Ballard’s “Morally Unacceptable” Activities
- Vice Article – ‘Sound of Freedom’ Producer Felt the Naked Breasts of Apparently Underage Trafficking Victim
- Salt Lake Tribune Article – Jana Riess: Allegations against Tim Ballard
- Salt Lake Tribune – LDS Church didn’t denounce me, Tim Ballard fires back
- Ward Radio Episode – Tim Ballard Fights Back
- Deseret News – Tim Ballard considers run for Senate amid renewed controversy
- Deseret News – Tim Ballard, former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad, issues response to church statement
- Doug Andersen Director of Media Relations of the Church
- Vice News – Whiteboard Meeting
- American Crime Journal – Whiteboard Meeting
- Lynn Packer “Tim Ballard Under Attack”
- ABC4 News – Tim Ballard issues statement
- Spear Fund Press Room – Tim Ballard Issues Statement Affirming Commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- Spear Fund Press Room – Tim Ballard Issues Statement Debunking Baseless Sexual Allegations
- Paul Hutchinson’s Website
- Sound of Freedom movie
- Nuance Hoe
- Zelph on the Shelf
- Radio Free Mormon
- Mormonism Live!
- Mormon Expressions with John Larsen
- Mormon Discussions podcast
- Jordan and McKay podcast
- Floodlit.org
- Mormonish Podcast
- LatterGay Stories podcast
- Cults to Consciousness podcast
- Hidden True Crime podcast
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2 Responses
Tim Ballard, OUR, and similar human trafficking nonprofits have CREATED most of the hype and demand for action RE child sex trafficking. This build up has continued for a decade and has been instrumental in manipulating millions from donors. They say we’ll despite the disagreement and controversy we are “creating awareness” of or highlighting the problem. Buuut….they’re creating most of the buzz that they then trade off as evidence of the problem. It’s just not true. But it is lucrative and it does shine the spotlight on Tim Ballard while he makes up vocabulary for things he has ZERO expertise in like undercover operations which he is notoriously unsafe and amateurish in.
At the end of the interview, just drew an equivalence between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Rather than throwing this out in very vague terms, I think he owes it to his audience to explain this statement using evidence (as he is so committed to providing with respect to Mormon issues). False equivalencies are extremely dangerous in this moment.