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

Figure 8.7
Bush, George W.
Abbas, Mahmoud
Benedict XVI
Blair, Tony
Olmert, Ehud
Bin Laden, Osama
Haniyeh, Ismail
Brown, Gordon
Rice, Condoleezza
Gates, Robert
Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud
Tone towards most visible individuals
Negative Neutral Positive
0% 50%
Percent of statements
100%
received more frequent <strong>and</strong> neutral coverage in <strong>the</strong>ir home
countries <strong>and</strong> cultures, he was covered much more heavily
<strong>and</strong> neutrally in media outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world, with an overall
rating 11.9% negative statements versus 27.0% in non-
Muslim majority countries. The only country whose media
rated him more neutrally than <strong>the</strong> US media was Saudi Arabia.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was covered with
<strong>the</strong> next greatest frequency of all individual protagonists.
The tone that journalists in both Muslim majority <strong>and</strong> non-
Muslim majority countries communicated towards him was
more balanced than that communicated towards President
Bush, partially because Muslim majority countries covered
him three times as frequently <strong>and</strong> neutrally. However,
Palestinian media were <strong>the</strong> second most negative in <strong>the</strong>ir
portrayal of President Abbas behind Russian media.
Pope Benedict XVI had an even more balanced image
(overall rating 4% negative statements). But he only received
ahighdegreeofcoverageinmediafromnon-Muslimmajority
countries, which produced 93.1% of <strong>the</strong> reporting on him.
Spain <strong>and</strong> Italy produced nearly half <strong>the</strong> reporting on him
<strong>and</strong> did so with a positive overall tone.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Ayatollah Khamenei <strong>and</strong> President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had <strong>the</strong> most positive image of all
of <strong>the</strong>se most visible leaders, largely because <strong>the</strong>y both
Figure 8.8
Tone of reporting towards most
visible organizations
Hamas
Fatah
Hezbollah
Muslim Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood
Negative Neutral Positive
Al Qaeda
Taliban
had an overall rating of more than 78% positive statements
in Iranian media. Then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair had <strong>the</strong>
most negative image of any leader. Iranian media covered him
with a rating of 61.3% negative statements – <strong>the</strong> most
negative image in any country. Overall, media covered him
more negatively than <strong>the</strong>y covered Osama bin Laden.
The most visible organizations involved in Muslim-<strong>West</strong> issues
were Muslim political organizations. (Figure 8.8) On <strong>the</strong>
whole, <strong>the</strong>se organizations had a less neutral media image
compared with individuals. In reporting from both Muslim
majority <strong>and</strong> non-Muslim majority countries, <strong>the</strong> most visible
organizations were political <strong>and</strong> from <strong>the</strong> Muslim world. The
Taliban was covered with <strong>the</strong> most negative tone with an
overall rating 40.9% negative.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Percent of statements
The organization with <strong>the</strong> biggest difference in tone
between Muslim majority <strong>and</strong> non-Muslim majority countries
was Hezbollah, which received a rating of 6.8 % negative
statements in media inside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world <strong>and</strong> 22.0%
negative statements in media outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world.
Interestingly, media from Muslim majority countries covered
Fatah, Hamas, <strong>the</strong> Muslim Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood <strong>and</strong> al-Qaeda
more negatively than media outside <strong>the</strong> Muslim world.
In general, media from Muslim majority countries were more
polarized, presenting a higher share of both implicit <strong>and</strong>
<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 Media Coverage
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