In this period of church history, much like today, there were groups of people who sought to destroy the church and the faith of the people. Joseph Smith explains that in effort to drive the church out of Ohio, the people began to print false and defamatory information in the newspapers.  Information that is often still circulated today as if it were fact. Because of all this false information I love that the Lord invites the saints to hearken to HIM. The source of all truth.