Press Treatment of Islam: What Kind of Picture Do the Media Paint?

Abstract

This research investigated portrayals of Muslims in the media, drawing upon an analysis of articles appearing in the Times of London, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and The Detroit Free Press from 1988 to 1992. The research examined the types of stories that were written about Muslims, how Muslims were characterized, and the overall tone of stories. The study yielded results that partially supported initial expectations. Media coverage of Muslims, as expected, centered mainly on events, groups and individuals from the Middle East, in response to crises, war and conflict. Findings lend some support for the expectation that most press coverage of Muslims would be negative in tone and that stories would fail to distinguish Muslims by nationality or ethnicity, and more importantly by general branch of Islam (e.g., Shiite, Sunni, Nation of Islam etc....). The findings generally do not support strong conclusions of negative media bias in reporting about Muslims. Far from establishing any long-term trend about media coverage of Islam, these findings suggest that particular international events, depending on whether they are viewed positively or negatively, will determine the tone of news stories about Muslims.

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