Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue

<strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>: <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on <strong>the</strong> State of Dialogue
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Media Coverage
The abundance of reporting on protagonists
from Muslim majority countries can be attributed
primarily to <strong>the</strong> fact that journalists from <strong>the</strong>
Muslim world produced most of <strong>the</strong> reporting
on Muslim-<strong>West</strong> issues <strong>and</strong> covered <strong>the</strong>m more
heavily. In <strong>the</strong> 12 Muslim majority countries
analysed, actors identified with Muslim majority
countries were <strong>the</strong> focus of 56.2% of statements,
while actors identified with countries outside
<strong>the</strong> Muslim world were <strong>the</strong> focus of 28.3% of
statements. Conversely, journalists in non-
Muslim majority countries focused more on
actors outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world. Most of <strong>the</strong>se
protagonists were American or Israeli (76.3%).
Protagonists from Muslim majority countries
were covered <strong>the</strong> most negatively of <strong>the</strong> top
five protagonists (overall rating 31.1% negative
statements, Figure 8.6), followed by protagonists
from countries outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world (26.9%).
In nearly 85% of coverage <strong>the</strong>se protagonists
were involved in political or military activities.
Protagonists explicitly identified with ei<strong>the</strong>r a
religious or secular ideology were present in
23.3% of all <strong>the</strong> media coverage of Muslim-
<strong>West</strong> issues analysed. Within this coverage,
56% of statements involved protagonists
representing various <strong>Islam</strong>ic groups.
Christians were covered <strong>the</strong> most neutrally of
all protagonists, with 6.7% negative statements.
But <strong>the</strong>y only received a high volume of reporting
in media outlets outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world, which
devoted 11.6% of <strong>the</strong>ir coverage to <strong>the</strong>m.
Media from Muslim majority countries devoted
less than 1% of <strong>the</strong>ir coverage to Christians,
nearly half of which focused on Catholics.
Media outlets outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world provided
most of <strong>the</strong> coverage of Jewish protagonists
(86%) <strong>and</strong> covered <strong>the</strong>m with a significantly
more neutral tone, with 6.1% negative statements
in non-Muslim majority countries as opposed
to 44.5% negative statements in Muslim majority
countries. This was <strong>the</strong> largest difference in
tone in any of <strong>the</strong> major protagonists.
Although not covered heavily, protagonists
representing secular ideologies were covered
particuarly negatively in Muslim majority countries,
rating 41.4% negative statements. They were
covered with a rating of 26.3% negative
statements outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world. Whereas
most religious protagonists were depicted
involved in religious activities in most coverage
(75% of statements), <strong>Islam</strong>ic protagonists
were more often depicted involved in political
or military activities (55%). Journalists
depicted <strong>Islam</strong>ic protagonists engaged in
religious activities in only 23 % of statements.
In media outlets within <strong>the</strong> Muslim world,
journalists were more likely to present Muslims
engaged in political activities (29.7% of
statements). In media outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim
world, journalists presented Muslims involved
in militant activities (36.1% of statements).
Media from both areas presented Muslims
engaged in religious activities with about <strong>the</strong>
same frequency.
The fundamentalist perspective was most
visible in media reporting on Muslims, with
12% of statements, compared with an average
of 1% of statements involving o<strong>the</strong>r religious
protagonists. Partially as a result of <strong>the</strong>se
perspectives, <strong>the</strong> overall tone towards <strong>Islam</strong>ic
protagonists was more negative (overall rating
24.5% negative statements) than that which
was communicated toward Jewish (9.5%) <strong>and</strong>
Christian (6.7%) protagonists.
US President George W. Bush was <strong>the</strong> single
most heavily covered protagonist in all <strong>the</strong>
coverage of Muslim-<strong>West</strong> issues. (Figure 8.7)
Like most religious <strong>and</strong> political leaders who