Uncovering Media Bias: The "Ground Zero Mosque" Case Study

"This study is intended to be an initial step towards a deeper analysis of how concrete media messages (in time and location) facilitate cultural perceptions that deliver political language, ultimately channeling policy (locally and globally)."

This website outlines the methodology and results of a study on media bias conducted by the International Center on Media & the Public Agenda (ICMPA) at the University of Maryland (United States - US) and the Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación of the University Autònoma of Barcelona (Spain), in partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). As the study demonstrates, the media representation of Islam is repeatedly linked to controversial events and conflicts. One such example is the controversy of the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," a local New York City debate that became a US national issue, then a global issue. The goal of this study was to observe and analyse the impact that this "non-event" had on media. To do so, the research teams analysed online and printed media from May-October 2010 from the US, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

As explained here, Park51 is a planned Muslim community centre to be located two blocks from the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. The centre is intended to be a platform for multi-faith dialogue. According to the organisations who conducted this study, conservative bloggers affiliated with the group "Stop Islamization of America" launched a campaign against the project, renaming it the "Ground Zero Mosque," which prompted a national controversy. The story attracted national media attention, which discussed the "mosque" set to be erected in the heart of Ground Zero (the site of the September 11 2001 tragedy) rather than that of a Muslim cultural centre located two blocks away from that site.

The research found that, in the US, different political interests set the media agenda (Politicians reportedly started using it as a political campaign issue for the 2010 US midterm elections). Internationally, "news outlets that similarly labelled the story consciously understood the harmful nature of this misuse of terminology, as evidenced by warnings of bigotry and Islamophobia. However, their reports still focused on confrontation. Media concentrated on the sensational part of the story." In addition, the research found that the international media told the story through the US media lens: Journalists "used information elaborated by other journalists as a primary source, which helped to produce perceptions of fear and threat. Insufficient knowledge and the misuse of terminology, therefore, may create a disinformation effect that can threaten peace in multicultural communities."

In conclusion, the study emphasises the importance of media literacy, stating that "citizenship education should address questions relevant to the role of media in multicultural societies. Individuals should be aware of how the media deal with migrants, multiculturalism, and, in this particular case, Islamic culture and religion. They should be enabled and encouraged to develop critical thinking skills in order to differentiate media messages and identify stereotypes, Islamophobia, radicalism, and racism within the media discourse."