It is a fundamental human right to be able to access information about what is going on in your country and the rest of the world. In social economic well-developed countries we have access to news from all over the world from thousands of sources. We like to think that the information that we are given through news cooperation’s gives us a truthful and correct image of situations and conflicts going on in the world; however this is not necessarily the case.
News cooperation’s like CNN and BBC are some of the world’s biggest news sources. Most of us wouldn’t even question their reliability when it comes to covering news stories, but if we take a closer look we can see that they are actually being influenced by the society and the people behind the organisations.
It is the western world that controls most of today’s media and therefore they choose what stories to cover based on their interests. I don’t know how many times I have seen articles and stories about someone who has done something terrible where it is extremely important to point out that he or she is a Muslim. It seems like because people in the western world have roots in Christianity it is easy to blame what someone’s actions based on what religion they belong to.
It could be someone who raped or even murderer someone because of a mental illness, but it seems like it is still extremely important to point out if they believe in Allah. It seems like they often try to blame Islam for crimes people have committed. This never happens if it is a Christian who has committed the crime, because it is not relevant for the story.
So why would it be relevant if a person is a Muslim? This is one of the things that create prejudices towards people who has a different background than us. People who read the news stories start to develop thoughts about how Muslims must be like and how terrible their religion must be. But did you know that both Christianity and Islam are built on the same principals and values. In fact the two religions hold more similarities than differences.
Our prejudices are results of the medias interpretation of Islam and how Muslims are being used as scapegoats in our society.
Do you agree Donald?
vildehaaland.wordpress.com 
Hi Vilde! Really interesting and relevant blog about media ownership! I like the examples you use to discuss this issue and idea, as it is a very relevant issue both in todays society and always in the media. I definitely agree with your findings a lot and think you have established your ideas and message well and in a coherent way. I also love the Trump GIF! Perhaps you could include more examples of just how the news is owned and how much and what this means. Also some hyperlinks to examples of media ownership and your example in general would also help. Great blog, hope this was of some help 🙂
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Hi Vilde 🙂 I agree with Jordie, Great blog post. Islamophobia is a really interesting and current topic and puts media ownership into perspective. More real life examples from news sources would have been helpful though to support your ideas presented.
I think this article does well to decipher Islamophobia within the media, in particular the rise since 9/11. Give it a read if you like 🙂 http://www.globalresearch.ca/islamophobia-and-the-negative-media-portrayal-of-muslims/5440451
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This post touched on very real issues with media and its representation of marginalised communities. As BCM students we have become accustomed in expressing our perceptions of bias within media, but unfortunately there is still large majorities of society that haven’t been informed about media agendas. Particularly in response to your last paragraph the media has blurred the lines of religion, nationality and diversity by creating a categorised view those associated with Middle Eastern descent, so great job in identifying this. To add a little more visuals maybe next time you could add some Media headlines in relation to this issue, or even a link to a coverage that struck your concern in reference to the representation of Muslims. Overall interesting read Vilde 🙂
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Your post has excellent ideas and I love the link to Donald Trump at the end of the post as it pushes this blog into a more surreal light. I admire your focus on the challenges that Muslims face in modern society today. I too have seen an unfortunate display of news stories throughout different platforms. I believe if you linked some of your key points to certain articles from CNN and BBC it would have really opened my mind a tad more. Apart from that, I love how you have included your own personal flare to the issue. This draws back to the audience, possibly causing a reaction in them.
Sarah
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