Conspiracy as History in 'Who Killed Joseph Smith?'

Over the last decade, idealogues posed as historians have become more popular within Latter-day Saint discourse. From attempting to distance Joseph Smith from letters that he dictated like the Bernhisel letter to dismissing all documentation from Joseph's plural wives, organizations and influencers have forsaken rigorous historical methodology in favor of motive-driven outcomes. Through using language like "traditionalists," "purists," and "true researchers," these influencers and groups attempt to persuade their audiences into believing that they are the real historians, and groups like the Church History Department or BYU are really the ones who are agenda driven.