In the article “Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West” Islamophobia is defined as “An exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life.” Media coverage of Muslims and Islam, especially since 9/11, may have contributed to this phobia, especially since the availability of unbiased news and information is sometimes limited due to media mergers and conglomerations. Media outlets that choose to focus only on certain aspects of Islam, such as terrorism or terrorist groups like ISIS, can also have a negative influence on public opinion. However, some journalists feel that a desire to be “politically correct” when discussing Islam may itself be a form of media bias.
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In the article “Intersections of Religion and Media: Interviews,” Rianne Subijanto, Ph.D. student at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of Colorado, Boulder, discusses the impact media has had on Islam, and asserts: “Because of the media’s tendency to link Islam with terrorism, we have witnessed a rise in Islamophobia.” In addition, author Gabriel Arana examines negative news coverage of Islam in the media in the article "Islamophobic Media Coverage Is Out Of Control. It Needs to Stop." He mentions several examples of media "ignorance" involving respected news organizations such as The Washington Post and Salon, and notes: "It's not just the fear-mongers at Fox News, who exploit terrorist attacks to fuel anti-Muslim hostility with such consistency." According to Arana, the “mainstream media” is also guilty of this, especially on television. He goes on to describe the "predictable cycle" of Islamophobia in the news. One reason given for this was a journalistic love for "scoops," and that this leads reporters to "insinuate, infer, hypothesize" instead of taking the time to validate information received. In addition, he believes many journalists rely on the opinion of "pundits" instead of trying to find "credible sources of expertise on this matter," and this leads them to "disseminate misinformation." He ends the article by stating that "the most frustrating thing about media coverage of terrorist attacks is that it doesn't get any better over time. It's not like news organizations ask the dumb questions and get them out of the way. We don't get smarter, better, more informed. When terrorism strikes, the campaign of misinformation repeats itself, time and again."
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Conversely, in the article "Islam and the Media - Let's Not Fear Open Debate," author Brian McNair questions whether or not the media has become too politically correct when discussing Islam for fear of being seen as Islamophobic. He mentions that there "are extreme Christians too, and Hindus and even Buddhists, who advocate violence in the name of their respective deities," and that others cannot be held accountable for what is done by a few religious fanatics. He also notes that people may become extremists for reasons having nothing to do with religion. Consequently, he believes that "analysis of Islam's vulnerability to such hijacking should not be interpreted as an attack on muslims as a whole, or as 'islamophobia.'" He ends by stating: "So let's be clear. Critiquing Islam in the media and elsewhere is not 'islamophobia'." He believes, "It is, rather, a legitimate and increasingly necessary engagement with a uniquely (for our time) toxic variant of a belief system which, whether or not one disagrees with its tenets, can easily coexist with secular society in the same way that other religions do in a multicultural society. Anything less than vigorous, skeptical media discussion of those beliefs, including its still-medieval attitudes to women and homosexuality, does moderate muslims no favors."
Works cited: 1. Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/157082/islamophobia-understanding-anti-muslim-sentiment-west.aspx 2. S. Brent Plate. Intersections of Religion and Media: Interviews. Retrieved from http://therevealer.org/archives/11800 3. Gabriel Arana. Islamophobic Media Coverage is Out of Control. It Needs to Stop. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/islamophobia-mainstream-media-paris-terrorist-attacks_us_564cb277e4b08c74b7339984 4. Brian McNair. Islam and the Media - Let's Not Fear Open Debate. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/islam-and-the-media-lets-not-fear-open-debate-40468 |