National Polygamy Advocate

National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel was interviewed by Aarne Heikkila for Lester Holt for the TODAY Show on NBC-TV, on March 15, 2006. The network had flown the producer and a TV crew to record the interview at a hotel in Portland, Maine, for a segment that would later air on March 19, 2006. On behalf of Lester Holt, producer Aarne Heikkila asked questions of Mark Henkel that would be used on a segment by the show's anchor Lester Holt. The producer asked questions that required lengthy answers while otherwise seeking to get sound-bite responses that he could use in the segment.  HBO had just premiered its fictional series, "Big Love," that same month - the first of its kind about polygamists. This interview, however, focused on Christian Polygamy and the larger non-Mormon based UCAP, Unrelated Consenting Adult Polygamy.  The former had made the latter larger movement possible, even paving the way for such a show to even be considered. This interview contains many excellent sound-bites as well as comprehensive answers to commonly asked questions. This episode reveals the method of how TV producers do the actual leg-work of interviewing a topical expert while making the taped-interview appear on the later segment as though the main anchor himself conducted the interview.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel's 3of3 negotiating with producer Aarne Heikkila for the TODAY Show on NBC-TV, on March 14, 2006, to set terms for a taped interview (the next day). This conversation was the third of three steps to the negotiation for the terms and conditions of agreement for a taped interview with Mark Henkel and for another interview with one of the polygamous families from the TruthBearer.org organization that he founded. The eventual segment was broadcast on March 19, 2006. Mark Henkel had been requiring that it be written into the Agreement that the crew and producer (et al) would neither follow nor record anything else after the formal interviews. In the beginning of this third negotiation, the producer opened the negotiation by trying to get out of having to formally write that requirement.  Mark Henkel used his negotiation skills to both initially and conditionally concede on that issue. Later, however, the producer brought up a separate issue of how media companies can be subpoenaed and gave the kind warning that both Mark Henkel and the polygamous family would have to be careful of what they say. This was a point that the producer said that his attorneys wanted to be known in advance by all concerned. Mark Henkel deftly utilized that point to get the producer in the negotiation to instead be the one to concede and to indeed formally add Mark Henkel’s aforementioned requirement to be written into the Agreement. This third and final step of three ended positively, just as the previous two steps had occurred in the preceding week. This essential discussion both educates and demonstrates the absolute necessity of holding media accountable when they want to "do stories" that can put people at risk. It also reveals the example that Mark Henkel set in both possessing and bringing some essential negotiation skills to this process.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel's 2of3 negotiating with producer Aarne Heikkila for the TODAY Show on on NBC-TV, on March 10, 2006, to set terms for a taped interview. This conversation was the second of three steps to the negotiation for the terms and conditions of agreement for a taped interview with Mark Henkel and for another interview with one of the polygamous families from the TruthBearer.org organization that he founded. The eventual segment was broadcast on March 19, 2006. Because NBC had aired another show called "Dateline" that had made false associations about UCAP, Unrelated Consenting Adult Polygamy, two years previously, Mark Henkel was clear that he was not going to tolerate any misrepresentation of the movement again.  The purpose of the piece was to be about the movement, Mark Henkel, and the TruthBearer.org organization -not exclusively about the family from his organization. Mark Henkel explained, "This will be NBC's shot to repair the damage of Dateline two years ago, and we will report it, one way or another, how we are treated." The producer re-affirmed six different times, saying, "You are going to be in the piece, Mark." Mark Henkel allowed that such terms not have to be written (so that they could move forward without lawyer-delays), saying, "I am going to take you at your word." This second step of three ended positively, as well as the first step had occurred the day before. This essential discussion both educates and demonstrates the absolute necessity of holding media accountable when they want to "do stories" that can put people at risk.  It also reveals that Mark Henkel retained full authority to publish all aspects of this process, and it demonstates that the producer acknowledged that fact.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel's 1of3 negotiating with producer Aarne Heikkila for the TODAY Show on on NBC-TV, on March 9, 2006, to set terms for a taped interview. This conversation was the first of three steps to the negotiation for the terms and conditions of agreement for a taped interview with Mark Henkel and for another interview with one of the polygamous families from the TruthBearer.org organization that he founded. The eventual segment was broadcast on March 19, 2006. Because NBC had aired another show called "Dateline" that had made false associations about UCAP, Unrelated Consenting Adult Polygamy, two years previously, Mark Henkel was clear that he was not going to tolerate any misrepresentation of the movement again. When Mark Henkel was specifically limiting specific things for the terms and conditions, the producer countered them as supposedly not being necessary, saying, "You're free to say stuff like that when we interview you." Refusing to be misled by that argument, Mark Henkel insightfully and immediately replied, "Yeah, I'm free to say it; but whether you air it is another matter."  The producer understood. The first step of three ended positively. This important discussion both educates and demonstrates the absolute necessity of holding media accountable when they want to "do stories" that can put people at risk.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel was interviewed on The Ed Tyll Show on Florida Man Radio, WDYZ 660AM / 105.5FM, in Altamonte Springs, Florida, on February 28, 2020.  Over the previous decade, Mark Henkel had been a guest a number of different times on the host's past syndicated programs - each of which had always been positive interviews.  For this interview, Mark Henkel was originally asked as a guest to discuss a new state law being passed in the Utah Legislature to reduce the charge of bigamy from a felony crime down to an infraction in cases of UCAP, Unrelated Consenting Adult Polygamy, in which no other crimes occur. (NOTE: months after this interview, that law became fully passed and effective on May 12, 2020.)  The Florida Man Radio station obviously targets a male demographic in the greater Orlando, Florida market.    Along those lines, the host took the discussion toward a more physical direction of marital relations, although being neither vulgar nor salacious.  In the middle of the interview, the host seemed to take the issue into a harsh and hostile direction as Mark Henkel continued to hold his own and to just keep the information focused.  After the final break, Mark Henkel smilingly changed the tone of the conversation by offering some fun humor, bringing up the "Not tonight, honey, I have a headache" statement that husbands sometimes hear from wives.   The host loved it and declared that Mark Henkel had "kicked the soccer ball" as the host's way of meaning that he had “nailed it” with such powerful insights.  The interview proceeded quite positively from that moment forward.  The host again declared how much he loved having Mark Henkel as a guest.  At the end, the host even proclaimed, "God, I am having a great day today!"  This interview provides an example of how Mark Henkel's professional, thoughtful, and intentional use of humor-on-purpose (in order to change the tone) to refresh the discussion was able to successfully bring the interview back to a positive (indeed, an extremely positive) ending.  The host deserves credit and acknowledgement, too, for recognizing that and for joining with Mark Henkel in returning and restoring the discussion to the extremely positive conclusion.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel was interviewed on The Jiggy Jaguar Show, hosted by James Lowe (aka Jiggy Jaguar), in Hutchinson Kansas, on March 13, 2013, to discuss how the Roman Catholic institution's selection of its newest Pope Francis that same day might impact UCAP, Unrelated Consenting Adult Polygamy.  The host was both positive and generous in his praise and comments to Mark Henkel and UCAP polygamy. 

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel was on HLN Special Report with Vinnie Politan, on Headline News TV network, on July 21, 2011. The host had brought Mark Henkel onto the show to join a panel of two other guests. They were there to discuss the next then-pending trial of Warren Jeffs set to begin on the following Monday. (Jeffs was found guilty the next month, August 2011, to serve a sentence of life imprisonment plus 20 years). All the panelists agreed that Jeffs was a criminal for the underage rape charges, and Mark Henkel clarified that Jeffs was always opposed by the National Polygamy Rights Movement for Consenting Adults. In this interview, Mark Henkel made the renowned soundbite that observed how Warren Jeffs' court trial that Summer was being tried in "Tom Green County" of Texas - 10 years after Mark Henkel had previously been out in in the media speaking out against another underage criminal named, Tom Green.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel was interviewed by Jennifer Dobner for the Associated Press (the AP newswire), on September 25, 2007. This was on the same day that the guilty verdicts were handed down against Warren Jeffs, cult leader of the FLDS, the Fundamentalist LDS. For the report she was writing, the reporter got the statement from Mark Henkel that families in Unrelated Consenting Adult Polygamy, UCAP, were glad that that real criminal was finally going to prison. The interview also discussed the issue of how the "mainstream" LDS always get their special caveat added to AP articles (declaring that the LDS oppose polygamy) and how any referencing to "Mormon polygamists" seems to be prohibited by the LDS themselves when it comes to AP articles - all while not allowing the National Polygamy Rights Movement for Consenting Adults to declare its adamant opposition to Jeffs and his cult (who have never been part of the movement anyway). The discussion also included commenting on how Judge James L. Shumate (who is normally would have a lot more to say in his written judgments) did not seem to  be so verbose in handing down this particular Decision.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel was on "John Stossel Special Report" for "20/20" on ABC News, on July 18, 2008, during prime time television hours. The hour-long special looked into how big government over-reaches into what consenting adults do. This 7-minute segment, focusing on polygamy, made its fourfold-purpose clear. One, show that polygamy is not exclusively based on Mormon Polygamy (and that that idea is a myth). Two, show other forms of polygamy in a modern context. Three, show that UCAP (Unrelated Consenting Adult Polygamy) is about unrelated consenting adults making private choices of UCAP for themselves that work for them.  Four, show that UCAP polygamy has nothing to do with criminals and cults that also supposedly "involve polygamy" as otherwise sensationalized and misreported by manufactured news corporations. Mark Henkel was identified as the "National Polygamy Advocate." The segment includes interviews with a Christian polygamous husband and two wives from the TruthBearer.org Organization that Mark Henkel founded. The episode also includes a separate polygamous family, a man with two of his four wives from the African Hebrew Israelites. As well, the episode presents an academic from the University of Georgia, Professor Patricia Dixon, explaining the positivity of the women's choice element for those who choose it. Peter Sprigg declared the Family Research Council's (FRC) anti-polygamy bias. Mark Henkel follows-up to that bias, making a powerful refutation to the assertion that polygamy is sup'osedly immoral:  "If they're saying that that's immoral, they're calling the greatest heroes in the Bible they believe in — they're calling them immoral. They're saying that Abraham, with his three wives, was immoral. Jacob had four wives. David had seven known named wives before Bathsheba." This interview provides many excellent soundbites, including Mark Henkel's renowned "That's insane!" reference to Hugh Hefner's then-current popular reality TV show of "3 live-in girlfriends" that would otherwise make him a "criminal" if he actually married them. This episode is a must-hear presentation, and it is provided for the purpose of archiving for history. It is also presented in honor, legacy, and memory of both the husband and of one of his wives from the TruthBearer.org Organization who had both passed away only a few months apart in 2020.

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National Polygamy Advocate ™ Mark Henkel was in-person interviewed by producer Kristina Kendall immediately after John Stossel had also interviewed him, for "20/20" on ABC News TV, on January 30, 2008, at the ABC studios in New York City, New York, for a "John Stossel Special" that would air on July 18, 2008.  The producer needed to capture additional soundbites from Mark Henkel.  She took questions that John Stossel had just asked him in the previous interview and continued to have Mark Henkel provide more brief and succinct responses.  It is from this interview that the since-renowned "That's Insane!" soundbite was recorded.   Mark Henkel also gave several other excellent soundbites in this final interview that did not get aired.  The producer expressed her positivity repeatedly, exclaiming at separate times, "Good answer(!)," "Very good(!)," and "You're great(!)."  From her pre-interviews (as previously broadcast in past podcasts) through this last interview here, the sincerity of these positive exclamations are both undeniable and further proven by the positivity of the resulting segment that aired later that year in the Summer of 2008.  This is a "must-hear" interview.

http://www.NationalPolygamyAdvocate.com