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A "torrent" of negative stories has been revealed by a study of the portrayal of Muslims and Islam in the media, according to a report published yesterday.
Research into one week's news coverage showed that 91% of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative. The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, who commissioned the study, said the findings were a "damning indictment" of the media and urged editors and programme makers to review the way they portray Muslims.
"The overall picture presented by the media is that Islam is profoundly different from and a threat to the west," he said. "There is a scale of imbalance which no fair-minded person would think is right." Only 4% of the 352 articles studied were positive, he said.
Livingstone said the findings showed a "hostile and scaremongering attitude" towards Islam and likened the coverage to the way the left was attacked by national newspapers in the early 1980s. "The charge is that there are virtually no positive or balanced images of Islam being portrayed," he said. "I think there is a demonisation of Islam going on which damages community relations and creates alarm among Muslims."
Among examples in the study was a report which claimed that Christmas was being banned in one area because it offended Muslims, which researchers said was "inaccurate and alarmist". The report said that Muslims in Britain were sometimes depicted as a threat to traditional British values, and the coverage weakened government attempts to reduce extremism.
Research into one week's news coverage showed that 91% of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative. The London mayor, Ken Livingstone, who commissioned the study, said the findings were a "damning indictment" of the media and urged editors and programme makers to review the way they portray Muslims.
"The overall picture presented by the media is that Islam is profoundly different from and a threat to the west," he said. "There is a scale of imbalance which no fair-minded person would think is right." Only 4% of the 352 articles studied were positive, he said.
Livingstone said the findings showed a "hostile and scaremongering attitude" towards Islam and likened the coverage to the way the left was attacked by national newspapers in the early 1980s. "The charge is that there are virtually no positive or balanced images of Islam being portrayed," he said. "I think there is a demonisation of Islam going on which damages community relations and creates alarm among Muslims."
Among examples in the study was a report which claimed that Christmas was being banned in one area because it offended Muslims, which researchers said was "inaccurate and alarmist". The report said that Muslims in Britain were sometimes depicted as a threat to traditional British values, and the coverage weakened government attempts to reduce extremism.
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Most stories in the press are negative, no matter what culture is reported upon.
"Man skips down the street wishing love and peace upon all" does not make headlines.
"Man runs rampaging down the street stabbing people" Understandably does make headlines.
Islam is a subculture in this country. For the vast majority of Britons, it is not the norm. Ditto Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism. None of them are really featured in the press unless it's a "negative" story, either.
Newspapers are basically bad news and fashion layouts and gossip about showbiz shenanigans.
How would the average Muslim feel having Islamic women in fashion shoots? How many Muslims are in showbiz?
The crux of the problem is that Islam is fundamentally different to the Western way of life and that includes inclusion into our daily dose of health and crime scaremongering and celebrity gossip.
Some of the lighter stories, such as Mr Smith grows enormous blue pumpkins or Mrs Jones has an obese moggy, only reach the press because Mr Smith himself contacts his local paper and the national press pick it up.
Stop blaming Britain for being British!
"Man skips down the street wishing love and peace upon all" does not make headlines.
"Man runs rampaging down the street stabbing people" Understandably does make headlines.
Islam is a subculture in this country. For the vast majority of Britons, it is not the norm. Ditto Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism. None of them are really featured in the press unless it's a "negative" story, either.
Newspapers are basically bad news and fashion layouts and gossip about showbiz shenanigans.
How would the average Muslim feel having Islamic women in fashion shoots? How many Muslims are in showbiz?
The crux of the problem is that Islam is fundamentally different to the Western way of life and that includes inclusion into our daily dose of health and crime scaremongering and celebrity gossip.
Some of the lighter stories, such as Mr Smith grows enormous blue pumpkins or Mrs Jones has an obese moggy, only reach the press because Mr Smith himself contacts his local paper and the national press pick it up.
Stop blaming Britain for being British!
Trigger, seems to me you have the hatred - of anyone you doesnt agree with your views. I cannot see anything Looshead has said that is untrue. Maybe not indicative of all muslims at all, but a huge number do back the idea of holy jihad against the west and really don't help their cause.
SP1814 maybe you are not old enough to have experienced IRA bombs in London. Belleve me people were suspicious of irsh in many ways.
SP1814 maybe you are not old enough to have experienced IRA bombs in London. Belleve me people were suspicious of irsh in many ways.
Nikki, two things.
1) Only a small minority of crimes in this country are committed by Christians. There really aren't that many Christians around these days.
2) And even crimes that are committed by Christians aren't reported in a way that reflects negatively on Christianity. In fact, the criminal's religion is unlikely to even be mentioned.
The difference in the case of a Muslim is that his religion will be singled out as his defining characteristic (rather than the fact that he's six foot tall or a computer programmer or a father of three), which carries the inference that the the bad behaviour is part and parcel of being Muslim.
It's hard to deny that a seige of reporting like this can soon snowball into scaremongering. And judging by half of the brainwashed posts on this thread, that scaremongering has worked, hasn't it?
1) Only a small minority of crimes in this country are committed by Christians. There really aren't that many Christians around these days.
2) And even crimes that are committed by Christians aren't reported in a way that reflects negatively on Christianity. In fact, the criminal's religion is unlikely to even be mentioned.
The difference in the case of a Muslim is that his religion will be singled out as his defining characteristic (rather than the fact that he's six foot tall or a computer programmer or a father of three), which carries the inference that the the bad behaviour is part and parcel of being Muslim.
It's hard to deny that a seige of reporting like this can soon snowball into scaremongering. And judging by half of the brainwashed posts on this thread, that scaremongering has worked, hasn't it?
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Now, that's the problem right there. Would that really change your mind? Because if your mind is swayed by titbits of anecdotes then no wonder you've allowed yourself to be scaremongered. What chance do you have?
That's how people come to believe that Muslims are all dangerous. Because they ignore the hard stats and focus instead on individual stories that sell newspapers.
Shame, that.
That's how people come to believe that Muslims are all dangerous. Because they ignore the hard stats and focus instead on individual stories that sell newspapers.
Shame, that.
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