Truthful Witnesses: Thanking God for Good Journalists - Ingrid Mattson
27 March 2011By Juan Cole
We religious leaders tend to complain a lot about
the media. We lament the media's focus on trivial
entertainment stories on the one hand, and on bad news
stories on the other. We are particularly annoyed that
bad news stories about religion receive a lot more
coverage than the daily acts of love and compassion by
the vast majority of religious people. We religious
leaders sound like we understand about as much about
the media as the media understands about religion.
So first, let's stop making broad generalizations
about the media. We don't like it when people blame
all of "religion" for the excesses or transgressions
of a few, so we should stop doing the same for the
media. Next, let's recognize that the media gives a
reasonable amount of attention for good religion
stories — maybe not enough — but there is some good
reporting. The biggest problem is not the absence of
stories about ordinary people doing good things, but
the fact that these stories do not "stick" with people
like bad news and the horror stories. This makes sense
from a survival perspective: given our limited
attention, shouldn't our brains more easily recall
threats and dangers than benign and ordinary events?
This is why, incidentally, American Muslims face a
particularly difficult challenge convincing other
Americans that we are not a threat: the idea has been
anchored in the minds of our fellow citizens by the
real stories of terrorists acting in the name of
Islam. The fact that there are so few of these people
doesn't matter, because these stories stick in the
mind, while good news stories do not. On the other
hand, we are justified in criticizing certain media
outlets for presenting as "experts" on Islam
individuals who are, in fact, anti-Muslim activists or
those whose only expertise is in putting themselves at
the center of any controversy to increase their book
sales and speaking fees. Responsible editorial control
needs to be exercised, not to silence people, but to
at least to distinguish for the viewer or reader the
ideologically motivated activist from the more
objective expert.
Finally, it is only fair that we recognize the
extraordinarily important service many journalists
provide bringing critical news to our attention. In
the last few weeks especially, as the world has
experienced major upheavals — political revolutions
and natural disasters — courageous reporters have
placed themselves in dangerous situations to let us
know what was happening. Our ability to respond
ethically to these situations depends on accurate
information and truthful reporting. As I teach my
ethics students, our principles are useless unless we
first understand the reality of a situation. "What is
happening?" necessarily precedes "then what should we
do?"
During the Egyptian revolution, reporters were
harassed, kidnapped, and even killed by the regime's
henchmen. In Libya, it's still happening. The risks
journalists take are very real; Reporters Without
Borders http://en.rsf.org/ has extensive documentation
of dozens of journalists killed last year. During
military conflicts, native journalists are critical
for their local knowledge and connections — and they
are the most vulnerable; often their reporting is done
closer to danger zones and they don't have the
protection of Western citizenship. I am in awe of
their courage and commitment to reporting the truth.
Western reporters are also critical for helping
Western audiences connect with events in other
countries. These are "our" journalists — not
necessarily because of their ethnicity or their
nationality (or because they are more objective — that
is a racist assumption) — but because we spend so much
time with them over the years as we watch them report
the news. There is no doubt that some reporters make
every story all about them, but the good ones try to
avoid inserting themselves in the story. Nevertheless,
we viewers become attached to them. As a consequence,
we worry when we see Arwa Damon, Richard Engel,
Anderson Cooper, Nic Robertson, and others standing
among unruly crowds or in front of a night sky lit
with falling rockets. By putting themselves in danger,
they make us care more about places and people we
might never have had occasion to think about before
these conflicts. As we begin to care more about these
stories, perhaps some of the artificial divisions
between "our" and "their" reporters will disappear as
well, and the value of simple truth-telling will be
elevated.
The Abrahamic traditions uphold the importance of
"witnessing;" false witness is prohibited and truthful
testimony is required. Certainly there are
unscrupulous reporters, but there are also many good
journalists who have high ethical standards. Religious
people should remember to say, "Thank God for good
journalists," and just as importantly, because as the
Prophet Muhammad taught, "Those who do not express
their gratitude to people are not grateful to God," we
should say "Thank you" to those dedicated to reporting
the truth.
Protest against Deborah Pauly
faces small counter-demonstration
About 500 demonstrators from various groups marched
and chanted slogans against or in support of
Councilwoman Deborah Pauly in front of Villa Park City
Hall on Tuesday evening.
The large majority of demonstrators were Muslim
supporters who organized in response to a speech by
Pauly last month at a Yorba Linda rally. About 50
people showed up Tuesday night to support Pauly.
The two groups faced off on the walkway in front of
City Hall before the council meeting shouting at one
another through bullhorns and displaying signs with
phrases such as, "I'm a Muslim not a terrorist," and
"Deborah Pauly is a patriot." The protesters also
chanted at and over each other: "Deborah Pauly, I'm
your neighbor. Why are you such a hater," "No Sharia
law," and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the racism's got to go."
The protest was largely peaceful, but the exchanges
among the demonstrators were heated. A pro-Muslim
supporter shouted at someone "You don't even know what
you're fighting for, you racist pig." The Pauly
supporter retorted: "You're a disgrace."
The demonstrations are a response to a speech Pauly
gave at a rally during an Islamic Circle of North
America fund-raiser Feb. 13, which many have
interpreted as anti-Muslim. Her remarks are prominent
in a YouTube video created by the Council on
American-Islam Relations.
In the packed council chambers after the protest, the
public comment section of the council meeting became a
heated argument over topics ranging from Pauly's
speech to the merits of Shariah law. Sheriff's
officers stood at the doors and prevented anyone who
wasn't on the speaker's list from entering.
Pauly listened as Muslim constituents and Pauly
supporters repeatedly asked her to apologize or affirm
her words with audible cheers and boos punctuating
each comment from the hundreds of protesters outside.
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