From voice to voices: identifying a plurality of Muslim sources in the news media

Abstract

This article identifies a qualitative change in the diversity of actors who represent Muslims in British news media. Hitherto, the literature discussing Muslims and the media has tended to characterize media organizations as institutions which portray Muslims in an essentialized, monolithic way. In contrast, I propose in this article that the process of representation is more complex, including greater agency and engaging a wider diversity of Muslims than the prevailing literature suggests. Sociological studies distinguish between official and unofficial sources who help determine the representations that journalists employ in their texts, and I apply this to Muslim communities in Glasgow. Using qualitative methods drawn from media production analysis, including participant-observation and ethnographic interviews, I identify a shift from a ‘gatekeeper’ model of representing the community to that of a plurality of sources, which reveals and insists on the diversity of Muslim communities and voices. I will show why a wider range of actors emerged to speak publicly, what differentiates them and how they position themselves as representatives of Muslims. This focus on producers and on source strategies brings fresh insights into a field dominated by content analysis and a ‘media-centric’ approach.

Asserting Journalistic Autonomy in the ‘Post-truth’ Era of ‘Alternative Facts’: Lessons from Reporting on the Orations of a Populist Leader

“…Interviewees from Shepparton and Illawarra, each independently contrasted the experiences of their communities with those of the regional city of Bendigo, the site of strident anti-mosque campaigns and Reclaim Australia protests (McIlwain, 2016 p. 12; White, 2016). Such stories represent what Munnik (2017, p. 280) describes as a shift from ‘voice to voices’, which allows audiences to engage with a plurality of sources and experiences.…”

Answering for Islam: Journalistic and Islamic Conceptions of Authority

“…He said these sources tired of what they perceived as a fumbling articulation of public views from their elders in the faith and started presenting themselves to journalists, organising voluntary coalitions, and issuing press releases. This work grew in response to 9/11 (Munnik 2017), when journalistic interest in Muslims also grew. He said they were careful not to overstate their authority or representativeness, but they spoke with strength and verve, unafraid of being controversial.…”

Reaching out in a climate of negativity: perceptions and persistence among Muslim sources engaging with news media

“…For the purposes of this paper, my source sample increases to 19, including one journalist who identifies as Muslim; she is included to the extent that she speaks of attitudes among Muslims in Glasgow to journalists. Further details of my source sample are available elsewhere (Munnik 2017b).…”

“…Considering more current media relations, several participants spoke to me about their desire to speak out after 9/11 (Munnik 2017b). Leaders in the community met about a fortnight after the attack, discussing how to respond in the face of a thickening anti-Muslim rhetoric.…”