A Guide for Media Professionals

The majority of Americans say they do not know a Muslim. For many of these Americans, what they know about Muslims comes from media representations. However, according to media content analysis, more than 80 percent of television media coverage of Islam and Muslims in the United States is negative. Such narrow media representations open the door to distorted public perceptions of American Muslims, especially in the absence of any first-hand knowledge of this diverse community. The role of the media in informing the public has never been more important, especially when it comes to marginalized communities. At the same time, journalists are constantly asked to cover more and more, with less resources. We created this guide to help.