Summary: Minority groups of all kinds are often under-represented and sometimes misrepresented in news stories. This in turn, amplifies stereotypes or misperceptions that some people have of minorities. Itrsquo;s a topic of concern to many Muslim Americans who say that when it comes to covering people of their faith, journalists may be missing the story. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, many Muslim Americans are unhappy with news coverage of Islam and Muslims. Fifty-seven percent responded that coverage of their religion by American news organizations is generally unfair. They mentioned negative media portrayals among their top concerns of people of their faith along with discrimination and stereotyping. And that lack of knowledge can lead to a lot more than just misunderstanding. Portraying Muslims negatively in the media so frequently can make some Muslims feel unwelcome in the United States. Bad News Sells Bloomington Islamic Center President Faiz Rahman feels it goes beyond stereotyping, saying that it is a matter of what sells in the media. ldquo;Basically, whenever anything negative happens in the Islamic community they get a lot of exposure,rdquo; Rahman said. ldquo;On the other hand, when a lot of positive things happen that doesnrsquo;t get much exposure. I personally believe that itrsquo;s whatever sells. The media is more in the selling business, and bad news sells.rdquo; Rahman said another reason for this negative portrayal could be because of the lack of Muslim journalists. Indianapolis Star Religion Reporter Robert King said people need to realize that Muslims are not absent from American life. ldquo;Muslims are involved in politics: they are running for office, they are winning offices, contributing to the campaigns. They are involved in environmental efforts with people of other faiths. They react to issues that everyone reacts to.rdquo; King says finding ways of getting those reactions into everyday news coverage is something journalists ndash; Muslim or not ndash; need to strive to be better at.
