Muslims, Minorities, and the Media : Discourses on Islam in the West

"Inspired by overtly negative coverage by the Western mainstream press of Muslims in particular, and minorities in general, this book asks: Why are negative narratives and depictions of Muslims and other minorities so hard to change? News reports about Islam and Muslims commonly relate stories that discuss terrorism, violence or other unwelcome or irrational behaviour, or the lack of integration and compatibility of Muslims and Islam with Western values and society. Yet there is little research done on how studies on media reports about minorities seemingly fail to improve the situation. Combining empirical research with a structural analysis of the media industry, this volume presents evidence for the maligned representation of minorities by media corporations, analysing why negative narratives persist and outlining how these can be effectively transformed. It is an outstanding resource for students and scholars of media, religion, culture, sociology, and Islamic studies, and is also of benefit for journalists, media representatives, and activists looking to effect change for minority representation in the media industry specifically or in society at large"-- Provided by publisher Combining empirical research with a structural analysis of Western media industries, this volume presents evidence for the maligned representation of Muslims and minorities by media corporations, analysing why negative narratives persist and outlining how these can be effectively transformed. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Abstract 8 List of figures 10 Introduction 11 PART I: Media as a discursive system and how we see minorities 22 1. The workings of a media outlet 24 2. Media and communication mechanisms 34 Media logic, form, and content 35 Media and public communication 38 3. Media as a discursive institution of influence 42 Media, construction, and reality 44 The media and its commercial and economic implications 47 Media, ideology, and the political 50 4. Minority discourses and the media 61 PART II: Symbolic representations of minorities and how we interact with those images 80 5. Symbolic representations of minorities 82 6. The consumption of media reports 92 Psycho-biological factors in media consumption and outgroup members 96 7. Hermeneutics and the negotiation of meaning in media reports 112 PART III: Avenues for change 126 8. Changing psychological processes 128 9. Considerations for organisational change in the media sphere 135 Organisational socialisation 135 Media businesses vs media corporations 140 Threat of new entrants 142 Bargaining power of suppliers 142 Bargaining power of buyers 142 Threat of substitutes 143 Rivalry among competitors 143 Government intervention 144 Strategic considerations for change 145 Concluding remarks 150 10. Discursive change 156 Conclusion 162 Bibliography 164 Index 192 media;,discursive,system;,minorities;,media,outlet;,communication,mechanisms;,discursive,institution,of,influence;,minority,discourses;,Symbolic,representations;,media,reports;,Hermeneutics;,Negotiation;,Avenues,for,change;,psychological,processes;,organisational,change;,media,sphere;,Discursive,change media,discursive system,minorities,media outlet,communication mechanisms,discursive institution of influence,minority discourses,Symbolic representations,media reports,Hermeneutics,Negotiation,Avenues for change,psychological processes,organisational change,media sphere,Discursive change