Introduction and Importance of the Research
An investigation into the misuse and misinterpretation of religious terms in the traditional online news media and its effects on people’s attitude towards Islam and Muslim community in UK.
The research seeks to investigate the effects of misused language on audience’s perception. It will examine how misinterpreted religious terms, specifically linked to Islam, affect people’s perception of the meaning of Islamic terminology, Islam as a religion and Muslim community.
Islam and Muslim community have been widely discussed subjects in the media since 9/11 (Whitaker 2002). Nevertheless, the number of Islam-related news stories has increased in the past year with the recent tension worldwide. Paris attacks, …show more content…
• What are the key terms that are misused?
• Do readers adopt this false representation of the terms in their own speech?
• Does misuse of these terms affect readers’ attitude towards Islam and Muslim community?
• Do misused terms create moral panics?
Literature Review
Media effects have been a widely discussed subject among researchers who are interested in the way how media’s role as the fourth estate is affecting individual or audience perception, thought, attitude and behaviour. Media influence is the actual force exerted by a media message. Researchers believe that audience after media exposure generate changes in cognition, belief systems, as well as emotional psychological and behavioural effects. (Potter, …show more content…
Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other topics (McCombs 2004). Cohen (1963) argues that the news media may not be successful in telling people what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling their audiences what to think about. Therefore, the press and the media do not reflect reality, but they filter and shape
An investigation into the misuse and misinterpretation of religious terms in the traditional online news media and its effects on people’s attitude towards Islam and Muslim community in UK.
The research seeks to investigate the effects of misused language on audience’s perception. It will examine how misinterpreted religious terms, specifically linked to Islam, affect people’s perception of the meaning of Islamic terminology, Islam as a religion and Muslim community.
Islam and Muslim community have been widely discussed subjects in the media since 9/11 (Whitaker 2002). Nevertheless, the number of Islam-related news stories has increased in the past year with the recent tension worldwide. Paris attacks, …show more content…
• What are the key terms that are misused?
• Do readers adopt this false representation of the terms in their own speech?
• Does misuse of these terms affect readers’ attitude towards Islam and Muslim community?
• Do misused terms create moral panics?
Literature Review
Media effects have been a widely discussed subject among researchers who are interested in the way how media’s role as the fourth estate is affecting individual or audience perception, thought, attitude and behaviour. Media influence is the actual force exerted by a media message. Researchers believe that audience after media exposure generate changes in cognition, belief systems, as well as emotional psychological and behavioural effects. (Potter, …show more content…
Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other topics (McCombs 2004). Cohen (1963) argues that the news media may not be successful in telling people what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling their audiences what to think about. Therefore, the press and the media do not reflect reality, but they filter and shape