"Covering the polarizing and fragmented opinions over Islam and the rights of women, for example, requires context, attachment to core ethical values, and stylish truth-telling. Without professional expertise, a good understanding of the issues in play and a commitment to diversity in their approach
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media and journalists can do damage. They can incite hatred. They can perpetuate stereotypes. They can create ignorance and misunderstanding. These guidelines aim to help editors and reporters to avoid these pitfalls, to better understand the issues and to shape their stories in ethical ways. It is not easy in an aggressive and competitive media landscape where journalism can become trapped in a world of sensational headlines and sound bites. News media are often vehicles for Islamophobia, sometimes inadvertently, through the rushed reporting of intemperate political discourse. Often there is a lack of fact-based analysis and a lack of clarity over changes in policy that may impinge upon basic freedoms, such as free speech, religious freedom and equality for women. These guidelines are not instructions to journalists on how to do their work. They provide tips and suggestions on the ways media can avoid reproducing biased discourse that does harm through reporting that will provide the European public, policymakers and civil society groups with truthful information on the threats posed by anti-Muslim racism, particularly as it affects to women." (Introdcution, page 7)
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"Reporting Islam argues for innovative approaches to media coverage of Muslims and their faith. The book examines the ethical dilemmas faced by Western journalists when reporting on this topic and offers a range of alternative journalistic techniques that will help news media practitioners move away
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from dominant news values and conventions when reporting on Islam. The book is based on an extensive review of international literature and interviews with news media editors, copy-editors, senior reporters, social media editors, in-house journalism trainers and journalism educators, conducted for the Reporting Islam Project. In addition, the use of an original model – the Transformative Journalism Model – provides further insight into the nature of news reports about Muslims and Islam. The findings collated here help to identify the best and worst reporting practices adopted by different news outlets, as well as the factors which have influenced them. Building on this, the authors outline a new strategy for more accurate, fair and informed reporting of stories relating to Muslims and Islam. By combining an overview of different journalistic approaches, with realworld accounts from professionals and advice on best practice, journalists, journalism educators and students will find this book a useful guide to contemporary news coverage of Islam." (Publisher description)
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"Religion is interesting and important, but media organizations should also cover religion because it’s a good business move. We now have better data than ever regarding what audiences want and need, but listener/ reader/viewer surveys on religion coverage are relatively scarce. There is a persuas
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ive case to be made that a disconnect exists between what audiences think and what journalists say about religion news quality." (Page 6)
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"The Religion Stylebook is an easy-to-use, authoritative guide created for journalists who report on religion in the mainstream media. This is a service of Religion Newswriters Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Religion Newswriters Association. RNA is the only global association for professional jour
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nalists writing about religion with accuracy, balance and insight. The Stylebook includes entries on: The major religions, denominations and religious organizations journalists often encounter; Preferred spellings, capitalizations, some definitions and usage guidelines for religious terms; Accurate titles for religious leaders in different traditions; Selected pronunciation guides; Entries on terms used in stories on current topics in the news, such as abortion and homosexuality; Entries on religion terms that are not included in The Associated Press Stylebook. What it is not: This stylebook is written for journalists. As such, it is not a dictionary or encyclopedia of religion. Many religious terms are not included; This guide addresses the most common style-related concerns in today’s newsrooms. Some definitions and explanations are included to help journalists with the proper use of terms; Religion is not an exact science. Many religious terms are hotly debated. Translations into English of Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Pali and other languages create many alternative spellings, even within a tradition; After extensive consultation and research, we’ve selected the style guidelines that are recommended by other authorities or that make the most sense as we seek to encourage accuracy and credibility in the journalism profession." (About the stylebook, 2012/03/16)
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