Research and Analysis

Research and Analysis

The aim of my research is to provide empirical evidence to determine the current portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the British press. My research will provide quantitative and qualitative data on the subject. Firstly, I will examine the frequency of articles in each given publication. This will allow me to understand the importance the paper places this topic in its’ editorial policy. Secondly, I will examine the form the article takes. This refers to the type of article and its placement amongst other articles. For example, if an article concerning the Lazels riots in Birmingham were to be placed next to a similar article about insurgents in the Iraq war then, often unintentionally, the given publication has used two very separate incidents to build a problematic profile of Islam. In the introduction I have outlined the principles and practices of journalism that need to be upheld to allow for fair and balanced reporting. I intend to analyze each article concerning Islam or Muslims with these principles in mind.

I have collected a week’s newspapers from March 27-31 I have chosen to analyze one newspaper from each market category. From the tabloids I have chosen the Sun. My choice for this paper is centered on the fact that its’ circulation dwarfs that of the competition. From the mid-level papers I have chosen the Daily Express. The Express caught my eye from this category for one reason in particular; a recent advertising campaign. This advert boldly branded the Express as ‘the paper of British values. I want to see how these ‘values’ are translated in the portrayal of Islam and Muslims. The broadsheet category is potentially the most important. Although the highest circulation lies in the tabloid category, it is in the broadsheets where the intellectual material that inspires discussion can be found. In short, broadsheets are part of the public sphere that informs the intellectuals and decision-makers in the country. However in the same simplistic terms, the tabloids can be seen as part of the public sphere that informs the working masses. The Daily Telegraph is the broadsheet with the highest circulation and is therefore my paper of choice for the category. These three papers also represent a decent spectrum of political affiliation. It would have been wrong to pick three papers solely from the right or conservative standing. This influenced my decision when selecting the papers.

My research decisions have been influenced by other work on the subject and some of the inadequacies found in these. The research and evidence in Elizabeth Poole’s Reporting Islam – Media Representations of British Muslims is perhaps the most comprehensive on the subject. However, I believe this research to contain some shortfalls’ that fails to make it a totally thorough piece of evidence on the representation of Muslims in the British press. To ensure that the sample was representative, Poole analyzed all articles in her three papers from January 1994 to December 1996. Although this method is indeed thorough, the book and its’ research was not published until 2002. In my opinion this is a very long gap, especially as Poole herself has already identified earlier in the book that every recent issue has had a bearing on the manner in which the media’s portrayal changes. How can we be sure that this research is relevant a decade after it was completed? I do however appreciate the objectivity within her hypothesis. Despite her vociferous belief that the media demonizes Islam, Poole has maintained a distance from her personal opinions in this hypothesis: “It is hypothesized that the greater the cultural distance between sets of peoples, the greater the reliance on media information for interpreting Islam. It is anticipated then that, for the majority of non-Muslims it is through the media that Muslims are known.” (Poole, 2002: 26)
Norman Fairclough provides a solid example of the methods used to analyze media texts. Fairclough pioneered Critical Discourse Analysis, an interdisciplinary approach to the study of texts. It views language as a form of social practice needing to be unpacked to discover ideological underpinnings of discourse that become naturalized over time. Critical discourse analysis is founded on the idea that there is unequal access to linguistic and social resources, resources that are controlled institutionally. CDA can generally be described as hyper-linguistic or supra-linguistic, in the practitioners who use CDA consider the larger discourse context or the meaning that lies beyond the grammatical structure. www.wikipedia.com/criticaldiscourseanalysis . I used CDA only as a very good example of how research is done. The idea of studying the pragmatics or connotations of what can be derived beyond the lexical structure is central to my analysis.

I hypothesize that the press has constructed a method or style that serves only to minimize offence and this style is detrimental to the greater issue of integration in Britain. In this respect I agree with Poole’s belief that the media has created a limited framework when reporting Islam. However, I disagree with the idea that this framework is used to demonize Islam. I believe this framework to be part of the media’s response to the potential of causing offence to the huge minority of one million Muslims living in Britain. This response I consider to have grown out of an over-apologetic policy of motor-mouthed liberalism that rather then demonizing the Other, in fact demonizes the establishment. I believe this lack of discussion to be rife in the British press at present.

Number of Articles – March 27-31


Monday, March 27, 2006

US accused of slaughtering 22 in Iraq Mosque – Daily Express: 2
News story. Word count - 375
30 found beheaded and shot in Iraq. And 20 killed in Mosque Battle – The Sun: 12
News story. Word Count -200
US soldiers’ accused of mosque deaths – The Daily Telegraph: 16
News story. Word Count – 150

I have chosen to group these three different stories and discuss them from the same pot for a reason. If a intend to build a profile of Islam in the Biritsh press then I must analyze how each paper treats each story on an individual level and in comparison with other publications. I am comparing stories of the same subject, if one publication chooses to treat the story as a feature and another as a news piece, then I must discuss the reasons behind this.
This story has been treated by all three publications as a story of high news value. However, in relation to the portrayal of Muslims and Islam, each paper differs in its’ treatment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most sensational story can be found in the Sun. The worrying finding in this paper is the fact that the author has grouped two different separate stories into one. From reading the stories it becomes clear that there is no explicit link between the two. The only common features are that the victims are Muslim and the incidents took place in Iraq. In this instance I sympathize with Poole and others that believe the British press demonizes Islam. Whilst adhering to journalistic principles there is absolutely no reason why two very violent, but totally separate incidents, need to be grouped together. Poole and others are right; a technique such as this only serves to build a negative profile around Islam. In addition to this, the author uses a very violent lexical field to illustrate his story. The introduction highlights this:

“Corpses of 30 beheaded people were found in Iraq yesterday. And around 20 other Iraqis were killed during a battle at a radical mosque in Baghdad during another day of bloodshed. The mutilated bodies were discovered on the main street of a village near Baquba, 40 miles north of Baghdad. Many of the victims had been shot as well as beheaded.”

The graphic language used in this piece only becomes negative to a Muslim viewpoint when this language is used with such terms as ‘radical mosque’. This can be said to directly associate the violent language with Islam. However, is this irresponsible reporting or simply honest reporting? It is the papers’ responsibility to offer fair, balanced and objective reporting. The graphic language used in this may just be necessary to illustrate the story. We will be able to gain a better idea of this publication’s editorial policy after a whole week’s worth of analysis has been taken.

The Daily Express puts precedence on the fighting between US troops and rebels outside a mosque in Baghdad. However, although this piece is not at sensational as in The Sun, the publication still chooses to place the separate story in the same article. The manner though is more objective. Although the stories are in the same article they are treated as separate incidents with the style being similar to a review of the days events.

The Telegraph places the US- Iraqi conflict story in-between two columns of another Iraq story. The word count is half that of the other publications’ but no other story is incorporated within it. The objective style in which this story is written does not allow for any negative connotations about Muslims or Islam to be drawn.

At this point it is important to discuss how objectivity, as a principle of journalism, is maintained or squandered. A ‘stereotype’ can be defined (in the dictionary as) an oversimplified, standardized image or idea held by one person or group of another. In relation to the British press, Islam is a subject like no other that contains the potential for stereotyping. In this first story I find that only the Sun can be accused of this. The association of a ‘radical mosque’ over time can lead to a stereotype suggesting that all mosques are radical. If the treatment of the story used by the Sun maintains questionable objectivity then what of the Telegraph? In this publication we see a mature use of terminology or lexis to ensure objectivity. There is not an explicit link made between terrorism and Islam. This mature use of language allows for objective reporting throughout the publication.

Cartoons fourth rap – The Sun: 13
News story. Word Count - 100
Man charged over cartoons protest – The Daily Telegraph: 2
News story. Word Count - 75

I believe the issue of the Danish cartoons to be a very significant part of the current news agenda. Similar to the amount of copy awarded to the Rushdie affair, the Danish cartoons issue is far from being resolved and could well be present in the news for a long while to come. Poole cites Rushdie, the Honeyford affair, education and Halal meat as being constant themes found throughout her two years of analysis.

Both articles are very short and simply concern the arrest of a fourth man over the protest against the cartoons. The Telegraph places its’ story in the ‘bulletin’ section on the second page while the Sun places the article on page 13, adjacent to the main Iraq story mentioned above. Although newspapers are often vociferous in the defense of freedom of speech, no significant negative connotations can be derived from either article. Objectivity is maintained, although the potential for bias in this story is minimal. To build up a solid profile of objectivity or bias, each publication’s terminology, turn of phrase and use of language needs to be analyzed in large news stories, throughout the week.

25 mourners injured as surge at funeral causes floor to collapse – The Daily Telegraph: 2
News story. Word Count - 300

This story marks the first of a number of stories in the Telegraph that concern Muslims. This is a straight up news story, found on the second page. There is no mention of the terms Islam or Muslim, however religious affiliation can be taken from the use of the term ‘mosque’. This story has been treated by the Telegraph as a disaster story. No negative connotations can be drawn from this piece; it is strictly a news story.

Duchess gets a glimpse of life behind the veil in Saudi Arabia – The Daily Telegraph: 9
News picture feature. Word Count - 600
If no connotations can be drawn from the previous story then this report from Saudi Arabia highlights a subtle undertone that can creep into objective news reporting. This piece cleverly embeds opinion concerning Islamic oppression of females into a news story about The Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to Saudi Arabia. In my opinion it is the duty of the press to report oppression no matter what creed or country is in question. However, hiding opinions in the news is not the way forward. On the whole this article sends out a very mixed message. We are given the idea that Saudi Arabia is progressing in the equality of women. However, we are constantly reminded of its’ bloody and oppressive past. Everything about this story screams feature or opinion piece. Therefore, what is the editorial policy that allows it to become a news story? Perhaps most alarming is the inclusion of a small paragraph at the end that reminds us that:

(Saudi Arabia is) “A country that owns a quarter of the world’s oil reserves but which has spawned violent religious extremism. Most of the September 11 hijackers were Saudi nationals.”

This style of reporting reminds us of Islam’s negative qualities even though they are not relevant to the specific story. Although it may be subtle, a negative profile of Islam does begin to become clear in this style of coverage. In relation to objectivity, questions must be asked concerning whether or not this is a news story. From my research so far, I can determine that the Telegraph maintains strict impartiality throughout its’ news. So what’s gone wrong here? In my opinion this is an article that has blurred the lines between news and opinion. For this reason bias creeps into the terminology, turn of phrase and the potential for stereotypes appears. But I do not consider this to be irresponsible journalism. A greater profile of the Telegraph’s treatment and indeed objectivity will develop throughout the week.

Convert facing death likely to go free – The Daily Telegraph: 16
News story. Word Count - 200

With all credit to the author of this piece, this story is potentially flammable but has been treated in an objective manner. This style of journalism has put the facts out on the public forum but allowed the reader to make his own opinions on the matter. However, it has been placed on page 16. This page contains all but one of the stories concerning Islam and Muslims. There may be no problem with this, however as Poole argues, there is a potential for a reader to associate a feeling of problemization with the dominance of Islam in the world news.

Corrupt police and Iraqi crime gangs are the new ‘enemy’ for British troops – The Daily Telegraph: 16
News story. Word Count - 800

This is the lead picture story on the world news page. It documents the recent breakdown of relations between the British troops and the authorities in Basra. No opinions or connotations of Islam or Muslims are directly inferred by the treatment of this story. This picture that accompanies the story is also very positive, showing a young Iraqi boy talking with a British soldier.

Muslims are accused of killing ‘unclean’ dogs – The Daily Telegraph: 16
News story. Word Count - 200

Where to start with this story? The Daily Telegraph is a historic paper in the UK; it claims to be Britain’s best selling quality daily and is the current Newspaper of the year. How they can justify this article is beyond my comprehension. This article goes against my hypothesis and what I truly believed I would find in this so-called quality paper. The article comes from speculation by animal rights campaigners that pro-Islamic municipalities in Turkey are killing stray dogs. The main source, and foundation, of this entire story is a young veterinary student who found hundreds of dead dogs in a refuse dump in Ankara. This may or may not be true. But it is not this fact that I am disputing. I object to the tenuous link made between the discovery of dead dogs and aspects of Islam:

“’They were all dead, stacked in large pits.’ She said. ‘We also found 10 dead puppies in a bound plastic bag. There is a myth among pious Muslims that dogs are unclean.’ Animal rights campaigners who accompanied Miss Isikalp last week said that at least two of the dogs had been sexually abused.”

The Telegraph may have dodged the bullet by using a quote to distance itself from the link to the Muslims but I still find this article very negative. This style of reporting is most in tune with the archaic opinions of the east that caused Said to develop the idea of Orientalism and the role of the Other: “Naturalized to the point of scientific knowledge, this essentialist and reductive discourse, which allows for cultural generalizations, consists of an Orient comprised of despotism, sensuality, irrationality, backwardness, degeneracy, deviancy and barbarism, and is unchanging and incapable of describing itself. These traits are characteristics of a ‘Muslim mentality’ or ‘Arab mind’.” Poole, 2002: 29) I honestly hoped when I began this research that the British press had progressed from the days of Orientalism.
If this article is to be an exception, the remaining eight highlight a fairly consistent framework for reporting Islam. This framework is not demonizing Islam but certain constructs are beginning to appear that serve to quell discussion due to the potential of offense. Also questions will be answered as to why the Telegraph contains so many more articles than the other two publications.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Bin Laden ordered me to crash jet on White House, says Moussaoui – The Daily Telegraph: 13
News story. Word Count - 300

Shoe bomber ‘had role in 9/11 attacks’ – The Daily Express: 6
News story. Word Count - 250

Shoe bomber ‘was to be 9/11 hijacker – The Sun: 19
News story. Word Count - 200

All three of these stories are court reports and therefore have been treated with special caution. Journalists are afforded what is referred to as ‘absolute privilege’ when reporting the courts. The only condition of this privilege is that reports are fair and balanced, giving equal copy to both sides, and contemporaneous to the proceedings. Any reports that are seen to influence or have the potential to influence a jury can result in the publication being hauled up for being in ‘contempt of court’. For this reason objectivity is strict. The most interesting finding from the three reports is the distance the authors keep from linking terrorism to the terms Islam or Muslim. This is very different to some of the articles yesterday when an explicit yet tenuous link was made between 9/11 and Prince Charles’s tour of Saudi Arabia. Using court reports to build up a profile of a publication’s treatment of Islam is questionable. Court reports are objective because, legally, they have to be. For this reason they can do very little to reveal just how a publication maintains objectivity.

40 killed by blast – The Sun: 6
News story. Word Count - 100

40 killed in suicide blast – The Daily Express: 6
News story. Word Count – 80

As the headlines might infer, the treatment of these stories is very similar. The Daily Express’ story is shorter and sharper but with less detail. The Sun’s interpretation is slightly more sensational as it focuses on all recent sectarian violence in Iraq. Again there is no specific link created between the violence and Islam. However, link can be fostered with terms such as ‘Shi’ite’ and ‘mosque’. This style of journalism strikes the balance between fair and balanced reporting whilst not exaggerating the potential for problemization (spell) within Islam.

‘Ricin water poison plot’- The Sun: 19
News story. Word Count - 100

Another very short story found next to the 9/11 story. This is another court report and therefore is written with consistent objectivity in comparison to the earlier articles. At this point it becomes clears that all three papers are choosing to group terror related articles together on the page. For the most part this is ok. When the stories are linked, it is simply the most sensible thing to do. However, the Daily Express places the 9/11 trial story with the Iraq suicide bombings story. I can sympathize with the argument that this style of coverage, over the long-term, creates as Poole states: “A negative conflictual framework dominated by crime violence and immigration.” However, the majority of articles are objective and make no explicit link between the given subject and Islamic or Muslim people. Therefore, is objectivity breached, or is this simply a question of ‘newsworthiness’. I believe that the three publications include stories about Islam because they are worthy of coverage, not as Poole suggests, to build a negative conflictual framework. However, as we have seen in Monday’s articles, the potential for damaging and irresponsible journalism still exists.

Great Britain ‘deserved its own 9/11’ – The Daily Telegraph: 2
News story. Word Count - 150

This is another court report that will probably feature again at some point during week. It maintains the same standards of objectivity that are maintained throughout all court reports in this publication. Recent interpretations of the British media’s role has highlighted a belief that the media serves a role to ‘scare monger’ audiences to serve various purposes. This can be seen in the recent BBC mini series’ The Power of Nightmares’. Earlier in my analysis I cited Herman and Chomsky’s news filters and the argument that fear of the Other, in this case Islam, has been used to mobilize a population whenever it has been strategic to do so. When they complied their theory anticommunism, as a national religion and control mechanism existed. The same structure now applies, but Islam has replaced Communism. Herman and Chomsky would argue that, although this article was written objectively with integrity and good will, the five news filters have become so deeply ingrained that a despite a Journalist’s news values characteristics of the Propaganda model can still emerge in the media. (Chomsky, 1994:2)

Shia Fury as Americans are blamed for murders at mosque – The Daily Telegraph: 13
News story. Word Count - 500

This story is a follow-up to the previous day’s story ‘US soldiers’ accused of mosque death’. It is written by the same journalist and is consistent in style and treatment. It is the day’s ‘World News’ picture story but unlike yesterday’s positive image this picture shows an Iraqi man mourning the death of his brother. As I begin to consider the connotations of this story the importance of it becomes clear. As part of my hypothesis I state that the press is overly apologetic for the sake of avoiding controversy. This story turns my hypothesis inside out. The potential for this story to be twisted into a direct conflict between Islam and the west is huge. For a paper to emphasize this, especially at such an early stage, would be irresponsible. At no point is the author’s opinion of the war or the publication’s policy revealed throughout the article. I therefore praise the consistent style of the author yet recognize the tightrope he walks with this story.
Palestinian appeal for talks as Israel votes – The Daily Telegraph: 13
News story. Word Count - 250

The run-up to the Israeli general elections has received steady coverage from the Telegraph. The story itself details Hamas, the main Palestinian party, asking to recommence negotiations over the Palestine issue. In reality this story marks progress for Israel and the Middle East. However, this article doesn’t really present this view. Despite the face-value diplomacy of prime minister designate Ismail Haniyeh, the Telegraph still includes a paragraph of history that has a tenuous link to the story:

“Hamas, which has carried out around 60 suicide bombings against civilian Israeli targets during the intifada, has long been associated with armed resistance to Israel’s presence in the Occupied Territories.”

This is very similar to the previous day’s story ‘Duchess gets a glimpse of life behind the veil in Saudi Arabia’ when a similar paragraph was inserted. This is obviously a technique used by the Telegraph that differs to the Express and the Sun. The Telegraph appears to be active in drawing associations between the subject matter and violence. Is this an irresponsible technique, or simply an honest appraisal of the situation? Does the Telegraph consider its’ honesty to be important in increasing the debate? Or is it simply as Poole would suggest, journalism that constantly places Islam within a framework of violence? Further analysis throughout the week will help gain a greater picture.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

No place like Omar – The Sun: 13
News story. Word Count - 250

This is a typical ‘Sun Exclusive’, sensationalist writing, colorful descriptions and a crafty headline. However, the subject matter is thin at best with a complete lack of intellectual comment. The article itself reveals the new house that religious cleric Omar Bakri has just bought in the Lebanese capital Doha. This quote demonstrates the complete lack of quality found in the article:

“Mad mullah Omar Bakri has bought a luxury pad in his Middle East bolthole. The dole-scrounging preacher of hate has spent £150,000 on the flat in Beirut, where he fled to from Britain.”

Without going into specifics about the content I find this article totally un-newsworthy. Why did it even make it into the paper? Is it in the public interest? No, in my opinion. This type of article also goes against one of the main suggestions made by the Runnymede Commission in 1997. This Commission made the suggestion that British newspaper publications should offer: “A more balanced and responsible use of Muslim spokespersons, to show the range of opinions and outlooks in the Muslim communities, and to reflect mainstream Muslim opinion.” (Runnymede, 1997: 20) The constant association made between Islam and fundamentalism has caused these so-called extremists to be viewed as ‘the face’ of Islam. The media does not offer the representative views of British Muslims, as these are not as interesting. Poole and others argue that because of the constant association made between Islam and extremism, Islam and religious fundamentalism are seen as one of the same thing. In relation in Islam and fundamentalism Poole argues: “The press problematizes minority groups in different ways and assigns stereotypical roles to them, so that, for example, the breakdown of the family may be a problem for Afro-Caribbean representation but not for Asians.” (Poole, 2002:49) This offers an explanation for the trend of articles linking terror to Islam. Sayyid (1997) argues that Islamic Fundamentalism has become a metaphor for fundamentalism in general. (Poole, 2002: 46) However, it seems clear from my analysis that the press is making a deliberate effort to avoid explicitly linking articles on terror to Islam.

Al – Qaeda plotted tube suicide bomb – The Sun: 20

News story. Word Count - 200

This is a continuation of the court case that has featured throughout the week. It is written to the same standard as the previous day’s report.

US admits attack target contained a mosque – The Daily Telegraph: 15
News story. Word Count – 400

The more articles I read from the Telegraph it becomes clear that journalists are deliberately imprinting their subtle opinions into the stories. In accordance with traditional news values this would be frowned upon. However, despite contradicting myself, I feel that this bending of news values is in this case produces a positive outcome. I believe that it is the responsibility of the quality press to offer a public space of opinion. This space is not for propaganda but for analytical, informed comment that raises the public debate. No issue should be off limits. This is of express importance as the press cannot be deemed ‘free’ if certain subjects are untouchable. Islam is in danger of becoming one of these subjects. Therefore I commend the Telegraph’s effort but recognize that once opinion starts to appear in news the publication opens itself up for criticism. In this story the journalist exposes how an American raid on an arms holding was twisted into a so-called massacre at a mosque. Neither the Express nor the Sun touched this story but if they did I’m not sure either would have the clarity to suggest that Islam is being used explicitly to mobilize opinion against America. Throughout the week the Telegraph has handled this potentially flammable story with true journalistic integrity.

Bin Laden’s ex-chauffeur challenges Bush in court – The Daily Telegraph: 16
News story. Word Count - 350

Not much to say here. I’ve included it in the analysis, but there is no link to Islam in the slightest. The article really involves the legal question of the Iraq war.

Afghan Christian convert out of jail – The Daily Telegraph: 16
News story. Word Count - 300

This one hundred-word bulletin is the culmination of an on international incident involving an aid worker man who was sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity. This story has featured everyday in the Telegraph but not at all in either the Express or Sun. This is a very short piece and most of it is a quote. My feeling is that opinion on this story has been reserved for the feature and opinion columns of the following week. If so the Telegraph should be commended for the manner in which it has processed this story form news to feature, consistently maintaining objectivity throughout the week.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Let Palestinians stew in their own broth, says former spy –
The Daily Telegraph:17

News story. Word Count - 400

In what appears to be a slow news day for my analysis the Telegraph is the only publication that contains any relevant articles. Again in the World News section, this piece details the opinion of former Mossad Chief Efraim Halevy on the future of the Palestinian issue. The Israeli general elections have been on the Telegraph’s news agenda throughout the week. This opinion is the first of its kind to appear. Above, on the same page, the major lead in the World News section is a quantitative review of the vote distribution for the election. This article is important as, for the first time, Islam is explicitly linked to extremism. The phrase “Islamist radicalism” marks the first time, in all three publications, when Islam has been explicitly linked to radicalism, fundamentalism or terrorism. It can be argued that the link does not have to be explicit for the same connotations to apply.

Afghan Christian convert finds a haven in Italy – The Daily Telegraph: 17
News story. Word Count - 175

A continuation of yesterday’s story, this time longer with a different main point. This story fuses together the developments of Abdul Rahman’s search for a new home and the Italian general election.

30 years for Bush death pilot – The Daily Telegraph: 17
News story. Word Count - 300

This very short bulletin piece details Adu Ali, an Al – Qa’eda member who plotted to kill the George Bush by flying a plane into the White House, who was sentenced to thirty years in prison.


Friday, March 31, 2006

Blair ambushed by anti-war kids – The Sun: 2
News story. Word Count - 350

Muslim pupils quiz Blair – The Daily Express: 19
News story. Word Count - 150

His Excellency is grilled by the girls of Jakarta - The Daily Telegraph: 2
News story. Word Count – 625

This is a prominent lead on both the Telegraph’s and the Sun’s news agenda. They put the story on the second and fourth pages, using a picture in both papers. The Express seemingly places little concern on this story, allocating it only one hundred and fifty words and stashing it away at the bottom of page 19. However, the treatment used by the Sun and the Telegraph, differ completely. In one story, the attitudes and values of each publication become visible. The best example of this comes from the introductions in each publication. The Telegraph leads with:

“Tony Blair received a lesson in international relations from pupils at a Muslim school in Indonesia yesterday when he was criticized repeatedly about his role in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.”

The Sun, on the other hand, leads with:

“Tony Blair gave Islamic school kids a lesson in democracy yesterday – as they slammed Britain for being anti-Muslim. The Indonesian youngsters tore into him over the Iraq war, Israel, religious freedom, and even the rights of schoolgirls to wear Muslim Jilbab gowns.”

A subtle difference in language use has given the same story two different meanings. The biggest conflict between the two stories is the fact that did Tony Blair give, or receive, a lesson? The Telegraph treats the story with the same standard of objectivity found throughout the week. The Sun, however, has offered a Pandora’s box of objectivity and treatment throughout the week. This article is a practical example of Otherness in the British press. The story paints a picture of Blair at the defensive polar opposite to the offensive and aggressive Muslim school children. A clear division of ‘them’ and ‘us’ is used presumably to stir the emotions’ of the reader. In truth this story could be treated in a positive light, portraying Blair to be communicating with the Muslim world, openly answering difficult questions and raising discussion. Instead, thanks to irresponsible journalism, the vociferous liberal critics are left satisfied, and no progress is made.

Spooks rapped for7/7 blunder – The Sun: 31
News story. Word Count - 250

MPs demand 7/7 inquiry – The Daily Express: 19
News story. Word Count - 250

Inquiry call as M15 ‘in clear’ over July bombs – The Daily Telegraph: 12
News story. Word Count - 250

This is another of the day’s prominent stories that can be found in all three publications. Again, there is no mention of Islam or Muslims in any of the articles. Is this because the press has become more responsible in it’s portrayal of Islam, or because the audience is already well aware that these stories involve Islam? The most sensational story can be found in the Sun, whereas the Express and the Telegraph choose to treat the story in a similar, factual manner. These three articles are really a preview of a report that is to be published in the next few days. It is after the report is published that some opinion may begin to surface.

Exile fights mullahs with chocolates, flowers and TV – The Daily Telegraph: 15
News Feature. Word Count - 300

A tricky article that took a few reads to fully grasp. The article itself details how the American authorities are supporting a revolutionary television station that broadcasts from Washington to Tehran. The Telegraph’s stance, in relation to Islam, is unclear. On face value it would appear that they are making a joke of Mr. Yazdi, the anchor, lighting, sound, and cameraman of Hakha Television. However, there seems to be a subtle undertone that implies that Muslims and Iranians’ living outside of Iran are daring to criticize the Mullah’s regime. These subtle undertones can be found in a number of Telegraph articles’ throughout this week. I am still wrestling with this issue in my own mind. On one hand, I have always been taught that opinion has no place in the news. This is certainly true in the case of some articles in the Sun over the week. But since when did journalism ever become so absolute? The Telegraph has hidden opinion in many of its’ news pieces throughout the week. All bar one of these stories are written with responsibility, integrity and truth. Despite wavering on objectivity, this is still responsible journalism.

The Telegraph has taken an aggressive yet objective and responsible policy towards Islam. No article has been regarded ‘untouchable’ and every issue has been put into the public domain for discussion. I applaud the authority the Telegraph commands when handling potentially difficult material. In my title I quote Poole and her opinion that the media ‘demonizes’ Islam. This is a strong accusation that would require, propaganda-like coverage of Islam. I find nothing to support this quote in the Telegraph.

Before I came to undertake my analysis the work of Said in ‘Covering Islam’, Poole in ‘Reporting Islam’ and the Runnymede Trust, amongst a host of others, influenced what I thought I would find. As mentioned earlier, one of Poole’s main arguments is that the press demonizes Islam. A week’s analysis provides evidence against this. So called ‘demonization’ would surely involve the press deliberately and explicitly making links between Islam and the often negative but newsworthy aspects of the Muslim world. I find the opposite, the press is making little to no explicit links that infer negative connotations on Islam. But how have I found the polar opposite to Poole and Said?

The Telegraph also has many more articles concerning Islam and Muslims than the other two papers. I believe that the Telegraph considers itself to have more responsibility towards the progress of representing Islam in the British press. Because it is years ahead of both the Sun and the Express in its treatment of stories, the Telegraph can handle a larger number of stories whilst still maintaining objectivity.

The Daily Express, as a mid-market publication, does little to stir any emotion. This paper seems to employ a policy of avoiding any topic that holds the potential for controversy. There is not one instance where terrorism has been linked to Islam or an instance where any negative connotations can be drawn from their portrayal of Islam or Muslims. Now is this responsible journalism, or journalism soaked in the fear of an issue? Does the Express cover fewer Islam related stories because it feels that they are un-news worthy or because it fails to carry the intellectual weight needed to cover the story objectively? In my methodology I state that, in relation to Islam, good journalism is not avoiding the issues and failing to report them as Poole and Said would have us do, but objectively putting the relevant topics into the public domain. The Express simply fails to do this,
As predicted the Sun has proven to be a Pandora’s box of coverage throughout the week. Unlike the Express it shows no fear of handling stories of a sensitive nature. However, unlike the Telegraph, it often treats stories with a clumsy lack of sensitivity. Although coverage is not always as objective and journalistically tight as one would like, it is hard to overly criticize the Sun for its’ portrayal of Muslims. I justify my argument on the basis that Poole’s so called ‘demonizing’ simply has not been found. Yes, the Sun demonstrated instances of Otherness, this is serious I agree, but the term ‘demonize’ invokes something far different to anything I found throughout the week’s analysis.