Media and its Portrayal of Islam

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Media and its Portrayal of Islam
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Media and its Portrayal of Islam

• By the age of 70, Americans will have spent 7-10
  years of their lives watching TV.
• The media wields such great influence that it is
  essential to question the integrity of the media,
  and to explore the roots of its problems.
• The media is over brimming with generalizations,
  fueling stereotypes hyperbole and symbolism,
  that many times the truth and focus of the story
  is lost.
• Examples of misrepresentations include men
  burning flags, Egyptian militant Abu Hamza
  as-Masri being portrayed as Captain Hook, and
  Osama Bin Laden as a cave man.
• This is not to say that stereotypes are not
  predominant in Muslim media either, where the US
  and UK are used to paint wide generalizations of
  the West.

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What is the problem?

• Important issues are ignored.
• The news must entertain the mass and feed its
  target audience, and therefore the networks
  appease the particular audience it is targeting,
  neglecting the rest of the community and its
  respective interests.
• News has become a consumerist product in itself,
  feeding a certain population rather than
  informing them
• Most of what we see and hear is homogenous.
• News stations have the same goal of attaining the
  largest audience possible, therefore, they are
  constantly competing amongst themselves for the
  same audience.
• Eg International Herald Tribune owned by the New
  York Times and the same stories appear in both
  periodicals.
• Society is misrepresented.
• Due to abundant use of generalizations,
  exaggerations, and the use of symbols. Eg Alls
  Muslims are Arabs.
• Eg Associating Islam with violence and painting
  an image of all terrorists as Islamic militants
• Advertising is out of control
• Most news stations are run by corporations and
  therefore, are not seeking the well-being of the
  community but the well-being and the future of
  itself, which is usually sought through greater
  profit margins.
• Violent and sexually explicit images are
  everywhere.
• Violence and sex sell in a materialistic driven
  society another example of satisfying the
  appetites of the audience

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The Root of the Problem

• Follow the money who controls the media?
• Profit trumps the public interest in Western
  media.
• Profit is not a consideration of
  Muslim-controlled media, but that is not to say
  it does not have problems.
• Instead of profit overruling the public interest,
  it is state interest.
• A small elitist business group controls the media
  in the United States, whereas the State (a small
  elitist group) governs Muslim media.
• Keep in mind the USs greatest export is its
  culture.
• Citizens do not have the opportunity to play an
  active role.
• This is an issue in both US and Muslim media.

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Growing Divide

• The American and Muslim perspective is
  constructed through distinct world worldviews
• An image or word is perceived in extremely
  different ways.
• The polarizing rhetoric of leaders on each side
  has shaped and reinforced the dichotomy.
• The Arab media revolution, propelled largely
  through satellite television channels such as
  al-Jazeera, and the rise of patriot journalism
  in the U.S., has marginalized the voice of
  moderation, distorting perceptions of both sides
  and increasing the gap in understanding of the
  American and Muslim world.
• The impact has been dramatically enhanced by the
  growth of satellite television and
  non-traditional media outlets in the Muslim world.

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A Step in the Right DirectionChange the Rules,
Change the Media

• For the media in the West, changing the
  structural policies will be necessary if we want
  to see a media system that serves the interest of
  the people, providing greater diversity,
  accountability, independent voices, and
  questioning rather than generalizing.
• For the media in the Muslim world, political
  reform is key for freedom of expression and for a
  more independent media that covers more than the
  States concerns.

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Reflections Points (Food for Thought)

• Exploring new means of sharing knowledge and
  galvanizing dialogue.
• The internet has become a rapidly expanding
  medium to share ones thoughts.
• Blogs
• Are blogs the answer to providing a voice for the
  marginalized?
• Iran and Iraq have active blogging scenes.
• What is the impact of this activity?

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Whats Next Best Practices

• Group exercise discuss most constructive,
  innovative and strategic means to solve the
  problem of misrepresentation, accountability, and
  transparency of the media