UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Original Study

Posted by Jared Wadley-Michigan on January 6, 2016

News stories depicting Muslims as terrorists have fueled racism and anger among many non-Muslim Americans, who support civil restrictions and military action in Muslim countries, according to a new study.

Other research has shown that minorities are subject to negative portrayals in the news media. Since September 2001, this increasingly has been the case for Muslims, Arabs, and people from the Middle East.

The negative media exposure about Muslims results in more American support for public policies that harm Muslims domestically and internationally, in part, because this group is perceived as aggressive, says Muniba Saleem, the study’s lead author.

“These perceptions, in turn, can create hostile expectations and anger by some non-Muslims, who may exhibit aggressive behaviors,” says Saleem, assistant professor in the University of Michigan department of communication studies.

Some studies have revealed the significant role of media in creating negative attitudes toward Muslims, but few have examined if negative media representations of Muslims can influence support for race-related public policies that are specifically intended to harm members of this group.

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