This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

What's this? Four women attended Saturday's all-male priesthood session of Mormon General Conference? Right there, in the Conference Center? And with the LDS Church's blessing?

Yes, yes and yes.

The four women were female reporters, who were allowed to cover the priesthood meeting in person, thanks to a recent policy change.

Doing that duty were Sonja Carlson, a reporter from Ogden's Standard-Examiner; Mackenzie Holbrook and Lindsey Johnson, Brigham Young University-Idaho students covering the session for their Rexburg school's newspaper, the Scroll; and Kristen Moulton, a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune.

Previously, only male reporters — save for some rare exceptions — were permitted on site for the priesthood session. Eventually, even male journalists were barred from media access, though they could go in and watch the proceedings without raising suspicions because they were men.

But before the recently completed 185th Annual General Conference, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unveiled a new policy opening the center's media room to "professional, credentialed journalists during all sessions of conference."

And for all reporters — women included.

David Noyce