US Research: Media playing important role in portraying Muslims as terrorists
February 4, 2016
306 1 minute read
studies measured exposure to news stories portraying Muslims as terrorists
Media plays an important role in its coverage of portraying Muslims as terrorists, says a study.
Two studies measured exposure to news stories portraying Muslims as terrorists. In an additional study, participants were randomly assigned to watch one of three news clips, which portrayed Muslims in a negative, neutral or positive light.
Participants also were questioned about their perceptions and support for military or political action.
However, the researchers were encouraged by how participants responded to the positive story about Muslim Americans.
The researchers asserted that the positive story reduced participants’ view of Muslims as aggressive. And they were less likely to support military action and civil restrictions for Muslims.
The researchers concluded in the study published in the journal Communication Research that journalists can make a difference by actively seeking out positive stories about Muslim Americans.
