Society of Professional Journalists Advocates Whitewashing Islam

Little Green Footballs ^ | 3-5-08 | Charles Johnson

[atomic conspiracy]

If you’ve wondered why so many mainstream media stories about Islamic issues omit important details and draw spurious morally equivalent conclusions, wonder no more. They’re doing it on purpose.

This was apparently released by the Society of Professional Journalists shortly after the 9/11 attacks: Guidelines for Countering Racial, Ethnic and Religious Profiling.

On Oct. 6 at its National Convention in Seattle, the Society of Professional Journalists passed a resolution urging members and fellow journalists to take steps against racial profiling in their coverage of the war on terrorism and to reaffirm their commitment to:

— Use language that is informative and not inflammatory;

— Portray Muslims, Arabs and Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans in the richness of their diverse experiences;

— Seek truth through a variety of voices and perspectives that help audiences understand the complexities of the events in Pennsylvania, New York City and Washington, D.C.

Guidelines

Visual images

— Seek out people from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds when photographing Americans mourning those lost in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

— Seek out people from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds when photographing rescue and other public service workers and military personnel.

— Do not represent Arab Americans and Muslims as monolithic groups. Avoid conveying the impression that all Arab Americans and Muslims wear traditional clothing.

— Use photos and features to demystify veils, turbans and other cultural articles and customs.

Stories

— Seek out and include Arabs and Arab Americans, Muslims, South Asians and men and women of Middle Eastern descent in all stories about the war, not just those about Arab and Muslim communities or racial profiling.

— Cover the victims of harassment, murder and other hate crimes as thoroughly as you cover the victims of overt terrorist attacks.

— Make an extra effort to include olive-complexioned and darker men and women, Sikhs, Muslims and devout religious people of all types in arts, business, society columns and all other news and feature coverage, not just stories about the crisis.

— Seek out experts on military strategies, public safety, diplomacy, economics and other pertinent topics who run the spectrum of race, class, gender and geography.

— When writing about terrorism, remember to include white supremacist, radical anti-abortionists and other groups with a history of such activity.

— Do not imply that kneeling on the floor praying, listening to Arabic music or reciting from the Quran are peculiar activities.

— When describing Islam, keep in mind there are large populations of Muslims around the world, including in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, India and the United States. Distinguish between various Muslim states; do not lump them together as in constructions such as “the fury of the Muslim world.”

— Avoid using word combinations such as “Islamic terrorist” or “Muslim extremist” that are misleading because they link whole religions to criminal activity. Be specific: Alternate choices, depending on context, include “Al Qaeda terrorists” or, to describe the broad range of groups involved in Islamic politics, “political Islamists.” Do not use religious characterizations as shorthand when geographic, political, socioeconomic or other distinctions might be more accurate.

— Avoid using terms such as “jihad” unless you are certain of their precise meaning and include the context when they are used in quotations. The basic meaning of “jihad” is to exert oneself for the good of Islam and to better oneself.

— Consult the Library of Congress guide for transliteration of Arabic names and Muslim or Arab words to the Roman alphabet. Use spellings preferred by the American Muslim Council, including “Muhammad,” “Quran,” and “Makkah,” not “Mecca.”

— Regularly seek out a variety of perspectives for your opinion pieces. Check your coverage against the five Maynard Institute for Journalism Education fault lines of race and ethnicity, class, geography, gender and generation.

— Ask men and women from within targeted communities to review your coverage and make suggestions.

[VOA]

bump

[wazoo1031]

We’re very much alike! :-)

[steel_resolve]

those pictures make me sad and incredibly incredibly angry.

[PGalt]

good post...dude. Thanks for the reminders Morgana.

[atomic conspiracy]

They obviously don't think it'll ever happen. ...blinded by their "cultural sensitivity" and political correctness. Of course once they realize what's happening their heads will already be on the chopping block.

True. The media professions are infested with drug addicts, homosexuals, and promicuous women. The imans would behead the lot of them in a heartbeat if they could.

To the media industrial complex, radical Islam plays the same role the Soviet Union decades ago. It is an ally of convenience, a club with which to beat down every competing form of power or influence: church, state, family, tradition, grassroots activism. One competitor, rigorous academic tradition, has already been destroyed. The ultimate purpose is to reduce western society to a moral and intellectual cesspool in which media power would be absolute. They underestimate both the ruthlessness and the vitality of their erstwhile allies.

[wazoo1031]

That French “Best Actress” Beast Actress C^^t needs to have her Oscar rammed up her hairy stinky A*se!, not that I care about those champagne socialists...

[wazoo1031]

As Americans, should we not say, ahem, drum roll...”BEEEEYYOTTCHH!? :-)

[SuziQ]

Bump for later reading.

[Impy]

“Makkah”? What the hell?

I have to catch a flight to Bombay now....whoops.