Does Media Bias Cause Islam to be Misunderstood - Admission/Application Essay Example

Abstract This paper aims to explore the way Islam, Muslims and Arabs are depicted in the western media, and how such depiction opens an avenue for a religion and culture to be severely misunderstood in the west, particularly the U.S. The core analysis will focus on the over-generalization, distorted views, and fabricated images which are typical in the western portrayal of Muslims and Arabs, specifically in relation to topics dealing with the Gulf War, the 9/11 attacks, and the reasons for the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The paper is a collaboration of different arguments and expositions from scholarly and peer-reviewed materials both from Western and Middle-Eastern experts and thinkers to avoid bias towards a particular argument. An expert interview of a researcher from a media watch organization plus random public survey were also done to either collaborate with or negate the research question. Does Media Bias Cause Islam to be Misunderstood? Executive Summary Introduction This paper is a result of a combined study of the available literature, an expert interview, and a field survey on the existence of bias in western media towards Islam, Muslims and Arabs. The study covers research done on empirical studies of media bias from the 60s to the present times. Research objectives. to gain better understanding of the power of the media to gain better understanding of the western perception of Islam, Muslims, and Arabs to bring out of the role of western media in shaping this perception of Islam, Muslims, and Arabs to identify the stereotypes associated with Islam, Muslims, and Arab to evaluate the negative impact of such stereotypes to this minority group (Muslims and Arabs) in the U.S. Research components. review of available literature on media bias from the 60s to the present review of the available literature on the existence of media bias towards Islam, Muslims, and Arabs from the 60s to the present interview of media expert who has years of experience in evaluating media bias and the accuracy of news articles public opinion field survey from 52 (out of 200 questionnaires disseminated) respondents gathered through random sampling Defining Terms Currently, the terms to define are limited to the most recurring words among all the sources in the working bibliography, which are also words that will be widely used in the research paper. 1. Islamophobia – At a glance, this can be easily defined as the fear, hatred, or dislike of Islam and anything related to it. However, as it is used in the sources, Islamophobia is (specifically) more of the constant need to scrutinize Islam that usually result in criticism. 2. media bias – Media bias is obviously an action where the media discusses something in an effort to advance a certain opinion or side of a story. While freedom of speech allows anyone to state their own opinions, it is against the general expectation of objectivity in the media (particularly the news industry). Media bias, as it is used in the sources, constitutes of statements or portrayals of anything that incites hostility towards a certain subject. 3. stereotypes – There is a thin line between classifying with the intent of informing and classifying with the intent of subjective generalization. Stereotypes, as it is used in the sources, means the generalization of a certain group of people based on the actions of a small percentage of its members. 4. terrorist – It is good to emphasize that while the term terrorist can easily mean someon who commits crimes such as bombing, conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, aircraft sabotage, supporting terrorism, etc., there is no universal definition of a terrorist or terrorism under the criminal law. However, as it is used in the sources, a terrorist is mainly used to “mimic” how the western media portrays Muslims (or Arabs in general). Historical Background Islamophobia. It is a term that, once thrown around, can instantly cause a debate. The discussion about it can revolve around its definition, or even its origin. Islamophobia, as can be seen in the western media portrayal of Islam and Muslims, can be traced back to the mid-part of the 20th century --- sometime 60s and 70s. For some reason, this negative portrayal has not changed over the decades. Derogatory terms such as “camel jockey” obviously show contempt against this group. During the 80s and 90s, world war vision of Huntington and the theory of “clash of civilization” incited fear among the U.S. population. This was even furthered by the 9/11 attacks in 2001. But things did not end there. The media then began to, more and more, put Islam and Muslims in a bad light. Even cartoon shows such as “The Simpsons” (Mypods and Boomsticks episode – December 2008) try to mix Islamophobia with humor. This means that even kids are not immune to this cultural reality of stereotyping this group of people into the terrorist category. When it comes to the news industry, one of the most controversial channel is “Fox News.” For the past several years, “Fox News Channel” has been accused of inciting ethnic or religious animosity. With these as just few examples of media biases and Islamophobia, it is then a wonder how a land of supposed constitutional rights and freedom end up forming a new kind of racism just after the institutionalization of the civil rights earlier in the last century? While this arena may just be a small percentage of the media, it speaks a lot of the challenges that U.S. society faces to this day in terms of culture, society, and politics. It can be seen as a violation of the constitutional rights of an individual or a group of people, and belittles the general concept of justice. On a large scale, it can be seen as a threat to the U.S.' integrity as a nation founded on the legacy of unity, forbearance, tolerance, and compassion. Key Debates The general disagreement revolves around the question on whether there is indeed media bias in terms of portraying Islam and Muslims, or the media is merely portraying the sentiments of the people. To see this, the paper will conduct a study on whether or not the media resorts to lies and cover-ups to advance its cause. Also, there is a disagreement on whether Islam is a religion of peace, and if the other two Abrahamic religions (Judaism and Christianity) are more peaceful compared to Islam. There is also a debate on who the real terrorist is. Literature Review If any perception of Islam exists in the West, particularly in the U.S., today, it is more likely to be similar to an atrocious power that tries to throw its shadow across all lands (Shafi & Naval Postgraduate School, 2010, p.12). Fear of Islam in the modern times is almost similar to the fear felt by the people towards Communism and Fascism during their peak. Furthermore, dominating the powerful Western media today is paranoia towards Islam and anything related to it, just as anti-Communism and anti-Nazi campaigns dominated the Western Media in the last century (Agha, 2000, p.220-21). Even at the peak of the death of the most wanted “terrorist” bin Laden, there was a heightened level of news coverage that talks about Islam and terrorism --- as if the two terms are directly (or proven to be) associated to each other (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.34). According to some studies, this resulted in a worse public opinions of the Americans towards the Muslims, the Middle-Easterners, or even Islam in general. This worsening of the situation can be reflected on the increased tolerance towards restricting civil liberties of Muslims Americans and immigrants by having them report and register their whereabouts, making difficult the construction of mosques, increasing police surveillance of mosques, and even religious profiling (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.47-8). The question of the influence of the media with regards to this issue can easily spark a hated debate among people. It is said that public opinion is shaped by such powerful determinants and providers of information such as the mass media (Abrahamian, 2003, p.531). Several studies show that mass media played a crucial role in determining public opinions regarding the civil liberties of Muslims and Middle-Easterners in the U.S., and regarding the current state of the conflict between the West and the “war on terror” (Revell, 2010, p.207). Based on previous researches that study how providers of information shape public opinions that affect the civil liberties of individuals or groups, further researches are done to analyze how the mass media connects with ideological dispositions to call for public support against anything related to terrorism (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.53). It is said that misrepresentation of the media towards terrorism, and its blatant linking to Muslims and Islam in general has even caused the was against Iraq (Agha, 2000, p.229). For example, famous media organizations such as Fox Cable News is know to have, over the years, incited religious and even ethnic animosity. As of last year, “Muslims comprise of just over 2 percent of the American population” (Sheehi, 2011, p.17). However, unlike other minority groups, Muslims are seen as the “others” because of the pervasive stereotypes disseminated by the mass media. Old and new studies, and even recent polls show a big misconception among Americans regarding Islam, Muslims, and the Arabs. According to a poll conducted in 2003: “45 percent of Americans believe that Islam is a religion that most likely would encourage violence when compared to other religions” (Sheehi, 2011, p.23). It is ironic however that in another poll in 2009: “36 percent of Americans cannot even state a single basic fact they know about Islam” (Said, 2010, p.44). According to Saeed: It is a wonder how a nation without a strong, solid knowledge about the religion, about its people, and about other things related to it (like Arabs, etc.) can form a strong opinion against it to the point of public support that results in restricting the civil liberties of these people. (2007, p.445) This point should bring people to wonder where the mistake is. It is normal to expect people to form opinion on issues they know a lot about, but to form a strong dislike towards something they lack knowledge of should make one wonder where the opinion is coming from. Definitely, Islamophobia is not just a product of the imagination. In fact, during the 2010 elections, the State of Oklahoma banned the legality of using the Shariah (Islamic Law) in legal matters (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.25). The issue, is in fact reaching an increased level as time passes, which makes it even more interesting to know where really are all these strong feelings of anti-Islamism are coming from. Studies show that the reasons behind the American misconception of Islam started from the stereotypes that invaded the nation's pop culture. It is so typical nowadays to see “caricatures of Muslim Arabs portrayed as terrorists, or Muslim women, veiled and oppressed” (Awan, 2007, p.389-9). Even the traditional Arab clothes stir thoughts of Islamic fundamentalism (Almond, 2007, p.39). It is also a wonder how, aside from the generalization of Muslims as terrorists, there is also a generalization of Muslims as Arabs. This is in inaccurate view already since only around 20 percent of Muslims are actually Arabs (Sheehi, 2011, p.27). With all these presented, it is easy to see that not only there is stereotyping and inaccurate information spread through media --- there is also a blindness to the fact that these people are branded through the activities of a small percentage of their population. Whether this is intentional or not is still something to be discussed. Methodology This research is designed to help further understand the role of media and the possible effects of media biases toward the misunderstanding of people about Islam. The research aims to specifically address this in a step-by-step manner: first, by going through available literature to check the existence of media bias on any topic; two, by an expert interview to verify if such media bias is felt and acknowledged in the media industry itself, and; three, through conducting a survey among the public (mostly students and neighborhood people for easier acquisition of data) in order to clarify how they are truly affected and influenced of what they hear from the media. For the first step of the research study of the available literature, book and peer-reviewed materials are given priority to ensure that an intensive research is done before the information was written by the authors. This is because the literature review will be foundation of the analysis. The information gathered from the literature will be tallied against data gathered from the expert interview and the survey forms. It does not matter when the materials were done or published, so long as the materials cover several decades of media observation. This is to establish a good pattern that media bias is indeed existing and very much felt. The second step is an expert interview. While expert opinions can be gathered from the available literature, it is still good to see how they view media bias, being members of the media industry themselves. The third part involves survey. The age bracket are from 16 and up. I think that anyone, even teenagers (mostly from the target schools), could give insightful answers to the survey, so the scope of the demographics is wider. For the neighborhood people, the target respondents are the older adults in order to spread the age group coverage of the survey. This is because survey conducted in schools would have targeted teenagers already. Furthermore, older adults would have been exposed to the media for far longer time than the teenagers, so this age group is the target in the neighborhood survey. Two available literature for every decade beginning the 60s up to the 80s were analyzed, while four were analyzed for the decades 90s up to the present. Analysis of the results of the expert interview and field survey was also done, and tallied against the qualitative results from the review of the available literature. The field survey yielded 52 responses. Results Analysis If any perception of Islam exists in the West, particularly in the U.S., today, it is more likely to be similar to an atrocious power that tries to throw its shadow across all lands (Shafi & Naval Postgraduate School, 2010, p.12). Fear of Islam in the modern times is almost similar to the fear felt by the people towards Communism and Fascism during their peak. Furthermore, dominating the powerful Western media today is paranoia towards Islam and anything related to it, just as anti-Communism and anti-Nazi campaigns dominated the Western Media in the last century (Agha, 2000, p.220-21). Even at the peak of the death of the most wanted “terrorist” bin Laden, there was a heightened level of news coverage that talks about Islam and terrorism --- as if the two terms are directly (or proven to be) associated to each other (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.34). According to some studies, this resulted in a worse public opinions of the Americans towards the Muslims, the Middle-Easterners, or even Islam in general. This worsening of the situation can be reflected on the increased tolerance towards restricting civil liberties of Muslims Americans and immigrants by having them report and register their whereabouts, making difficult the construction of mosques, increasing police surveillance of mosques, and even religious profiling (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.47-8). The question of the influence of the media with regards to this issue can easily spark a hated debate among people. It is said that public opinion is shaped by such powerful determinants and providers of information such as the mass media (Abrahamian, 2003, p.531). Several studies show that mass media played a crucial role in determining public opinions regarding the civil liberties of Muslims and Middle-Easterners in the U.S., and regarding the current state of the conflict between the West and the “war on terror” (Revell, 2010, p.207). Based on previous researches that study how providers of information shape public opinions that affect the civil liberties of individuals or groups, further researches are done to analyze how the mass media connects with ideological dispositions to call for public support against anything related to terrorism (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.53). It is said that misrepresentation of the media towards terrorism, and its blatant linking to Muslims and Islam in general has even caused the was against Iraq (Agha, 2000, p.229). For example, famous media organizations such as Fox Cable News is know to have, over the years, incited religious and even ethnic animosity. As of last year, “Muslims comprise of just over 2 percent of the American population” (Sheehi, 2011, p.17). However, unlike other minority groups, Muslims are seen as the “others” because of the pervasive stereotypes disseminated by the mass media. Old and new studies, and even recent polls show a big misconception among Americans regarding Islam, Muslims, and the Arabs. This point should bring people to wonder where the mistake is. It is normal to expect people to form opinion on issues they know a lot about, but to form a strong dislike towards something they lack knowledge of should make one wonder where the opinion is coming from. Definitely, Islamophobia is not just a product of the imagination. In fact, during the 2010 elections, the State of Oklahoma banned the legality of using the Shariah (Islamic Law) in legal matters (Morey & Yaqin, 2011, p.25). The issue, is in fact reaching an increased level as time passes, which makes it even more interesting to know where really are all these strong feelings of anti-Islamism are coming from. These observations from the available literature are further supported by the results of the expert interview. According to the interview response, the reasons behind the American misconception of Islam started from the stereotypes that invaded the nation's pop culture. It is so typical nowadays to see “caricatures of Muslim Arabs portrayed as terrorists, or Muslim women, veiled and oppressed”. Even the traditional Arab clothes stir thoughts of Islamic fundamentalism (Almond, 2007, p.39). It is also a wonder how, aside from the generalization of Muslims as terrorists, there is also a generalization of Muslims as Arabs. This is in inaccurate view already since only around 20 percent of Muslims are actually Arabs (Sheehi, 2011, p.27). Such misconceptions perpetrated by the media are bothering, since according to the survey results, news from media is very much relied on by 48 of the surveys respondents. Furthermore, over half of the returned surveys forms indicate that these people agreed to almost all of the recent news and issues they heard from the media. Reliance on the media is very much obvious if one would base on the survey responses, and that despite the general belief that they are “fair and balanced,” they do not try to research more about the content of the news, and just take them as truths. According to the expert interview, one of the biggest issue in the western media portrayal of Islam and Muslims is the choice of words. Words such as “extremist” or “terrorist” are used so often in presenting news concerning Muslims and Islam --- things that are not done when presenting news on Christians, Jews, or other religious or ethnic groups (Awan, 2007, p.389) . According to the interviewee: It is funny how we always see the words 'Muslim extremist' and such when we listen to the news. But we probably have never read any news that says 'Christian extremist' when we read news about a man chopping her wife's hand off because she committed a sin against the 10 Commandments. More often than not, we will just brand such a man as a mental case. Another thing is the show Big Love, where this guy has 4 wives. We see television shows and some commentaries on it --- positive or negative. But we never degrade it into such manner as we degrade the Islamic belief on polygamy where ridiculous caricatures are made, making Muslim men look like sex-starved people. There is a lot about Islam and Muslims that are misunderstood. For example, we say their veils are infringement of women's rights. What rights? And how are they violated? Do w even know? I think not even you do. If there really is no bias in the western media, we will see all these same negative descriptions for almost all individuals presented in the news. And the worse thing about this is that the public got so used to it, that they don't even realize it's happening. These statements hold a lot of truth in them. In fact, the public got so desensitized regarding the validity and credibility of the news as they fail to realize that Islamic countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh already had females as heads of states, while the U.S., who brags about gender quality, still has to wait for that day to come (Barker, 2008, p.123). Brief Discourse According to Muslims, “if one is truly a devout Muslim, terrorism is out of the question” (Borjesson, 2005, 67). Several Islamic literature show that terrorism is not allowed in Islam (Ayish, 2003, p.88). Furthermore, it is argued that if incidents such as the 9/11 attacks are considered crimes against the society, then what should one call the attacks done by the U.S. to Iraq and Afghanistan where they created years of devastation and destruction? (Gottschalk & Greenberg, 2008, p.33) It should also be noted that there are also “extremists” who are from the Hindu, Buddhist, and other sects who commit similarly hostile acts in many parts of the globe, yet despite the similarities in the assaults, it is always the Muslims who seem to “cause panic” (Haddad & Khashan, 2002, p.812-828). Is it not true that just as much as radicals and mainstream groups are important distinctions in any sect, it is also similarly important to Muslims? For the purpose of balance and fairness in reporting, the media should educate themselves as to the differences between radicals and mainstream (Poole & Richardson, 2006,p. 40). What can one learn from this research are plenty: 1) that media is a powerful tool and is prone to be used for vested interests; 2) that one should be careful in forming judgments before careful analysis, or at least an attempt to, and; 3) that Muslims should use media to form an equally powerful opinion about Islam and Muslims in order to, if not change the flow of the western media, at least create a balance in the available information (Thussu, 1997, p.264-266). Conclusion Mass media has changed the way information is provided and received. It is obviously a powerful tool in shaping public opinion to support any agenda that wants to utilize its influence. As mentioned in the literature, media has been playing a key role in political propaganda even to as far back as the Second World War. The prevalence of media's power and influence is just as strong today as it was before. With such power in its hands, media should maintain an attitude of responsibility in disseminating information, and ensure that they are balanced, objective, fair, and well-researched. The good thing about this is the hope that since media has the power to shape the ongoing conflict and issue about Muslims and Islam, it will also have that same power and influence to re-shape this public opinion towards what is just and objective. References Abrahamian, E. (2003). The US Media, Huntington and September 11. Third World Quarterly, 24, 3, 529-544. Almond, I. (2007). The new Orientalists: Postmodern representations of Islam from Foucault to Baudrillard. London: I.B. Tauris. Agha, O. H. (2000). Islamic Fundamentalism and its Image in the Western Media. In K. Hafez (Ed.), Islam and the West in the mass media : fragmented images in a globalizing world (pp.219-233). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. Arkoun, M. (2003). Rethinking Islam Today. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 588, 1, 18-39. Ayish, M. I. (2003). Beyond western-oriented communication theories: A normative Arab- islamic perspective. Javnost, 10, 2, 79-92. Awan, A. (2007). Virtual jihadist media. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10, 3, 389-408. Barack, L. (2010). Islam in the Classroom: Teachers and Parents Alike Are Unsure about the Topic, but It's Never Been More Important. School Library Journal, 56, 10, 34-37. Barker, M. (2008). Democracy or polyarchy? US-funded media developments in Afghanistan and Iraq post 9/11. Media, Culture & Society, 30, 1, 109-130. Blum, W. (2004). Killing hope: U.S. military and CIA interventions since World War II. London: Zed. Börjesson, K. (2005). Feet to the fire: The media after 9/11 : top journalists speak out. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Geaves, R. (2005). Aspects of Islam. Washington, D.C: Georgetown University Press. Gerges, F. A. (2003). Islam and Muslims in the Mind of America. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 588, 1, 73-89. Gottschalk, P., & Greenberg, G. (2008). Islamophobia: Making Muslims the enemy. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Haddad, S., & Khashan, H. (2002). Islam and Terrorism: Lebanese Muslim Views on September 11. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 46, 6, 812-828. Hafez, K. (2000). International News Coverage and the Problems of Media Globalisation. In K. Hafez (Ed.), Islam and the West in the mass media : fragmented images in a globalizing world (pp.3-24). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. Hippler, J. (2000). The Media and Western Perception of the Middle East. In K. Hafez (Ed.), Islam and the West in the mass media : fragmented images in a globalizing world (pp.41- 59). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. Maguire, T. E. R. (2009). A light in every home: Huda TV's articulation of Orthodox Sunni Islam in the global mediascape. Austin, Tex: University of Texas Libraries. Moore, M., Bin, L. O., Bush, B., & Bush, G. W. (2004). Farenheit 9/11. London: Optimum Home Entertainment. Morey, P., & Yaqin, A. (2011). Framing Muslims: Stereotyping and representation after 9/11. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. Pilger, J. (2005). Tell me no lies: Investigative journalism that changed the world. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. Poole, E., & Richardson, J. E. (2006). Muslims and the news media. London: I.B. Tauris. Revell, L. (2010). Religious education, conflict and diversity: an exploration of young children's perceptions of Islam. Educational Studies, 36, 2, 207-215. Saeed, A. (2007). Media, Racism and Islamophobia: The Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Media. Sociology Compass, 1, 2, 443-462. Said, E. W. (2010). Covering Islam: How the media and the experts determine how we see the rest of the world. London: Vintage Books. Shafi, I. K., & Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). (2010). Improving counterterrorism efforts by removing misconceptions about Islam in the Western world. Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School. Shashikumar, V. K. (2002). Oil search behind U.S. war on Afghanistan. Peace Research Abstracts, 39, 5, 611-755. Sheehi, S. (2011). Islamophobia: The ideological campaign against Muslims. Atlanta, GA: Clarity Press. Thussu, D. K. (1997). How Media Manipulates Truth about Terrorism. Economic and Political Weekly, 32, 6, 264-267. Appendix A Interview Questions My research topic is Islam, and I am investigating whether or not it is a misunderstood religion, and whether or not media biases (if any) has something to do with it. 1. Describe your professional experience related to media. 2. How prevalent do you think is media bias? Why is this so? 3. What can you say about issues on biases in the media regarding it's portrayal of Islam? 4. Do you think these issues have a strong foundation? Can you give specific examples from your own experiences? 5. What do you think is the biggest issue in this portrayal of Islam and the Muslims on the western media? 6. Rep. Ellison once called on Fox News' Sean Hannity as inciting religious and ethnic animosity. What can you say about this? Do you, or do you not, agree with Rep. Ellison and why? 7. What do you think are the main causes of this issue in the media? Is it politics, economics, etc? 8. Do you think that the way Americans view Islam and Muslims today are largely due to media? 9. Do you believe that if media bias has not existed, there is a big chance that the concept of Islamophobia will not be existing in American societies (or any other society for that matter) today? 10. In your opinion, is this whole issue against terrorism, against Islam...is it also due to clashes in culture or clashes in interests? 11. There is an episode of the Simpsons way back in 2008 where it clearly shows stereotyping Muslims as terrorists (The Simpsons got a Muslim neighbor and Homer immediately classifies them as terrorists. Bart stands up for Bashir, the Muslim boy. However, Bart was called un-American due to this.). What can you say about this matter? 12. What do you think is the difference between media bias and stating opinions? 13. Do you think this issue will ever end? How? 14. What do you think is a possible answer to my research question? In your opinion, what efforts should be undertaken to gather more insights on the issue of western media bias and Islam? 15. What resources, either other people or published materials, do you regard as essential to the study of my topic/question? Is there anything else you'd like to add that hasn't been covered by the questions I asked? Thank you very much for your valuable participation and time! Your input is of great help to my research. Appendix B Survey on the Role of Media in Shaping Public Opinion This survey is being conducted for an English course. My research topic is about the possibility of the existence of media bias and its role in shaping public opinion. The main focus of this research is to determine how the public views Islam and Muslims in general and if media plays a big role in this public view. Your participation in this survey is both voluntary and anonymous. I request for you not to put any identifying marks/information on the survey form in order to maintain your anonymity. I would appreciate your help in my research. Thank you in advance! Please put a check mark on the space provided before your best choice/answer. 1) How often do you watch television, listen to radio commentaries, read news/editorials or any other forms of media? ___ 1-3 times a week ___ 3 or more times a week ___ everyday 2) Do you rely on media for news and current events? ___ yes ___ no ___ half of the time 3) How often do you watch/hear/read information through media that you agreed to? ___ always ___ most of the time ___ less than half of the time ___ I do not believe most information I get from the media. 4) In your own opinion, how reliable are information gained from the media? ___ very reliable ___ reliable half of the time ___ questionable 5) Have you had experience of believing something watched/heard/read from the media and then finding out that it was not true? ___ once ___ twice ___ three times or more ___ never 6) Do you go in debates/arguments among peers/relatives due to something watched/heard/read from the media? ___ always ___ sometimes ___ Never. We always share the same opinions. 7) Have you watched/heard/read something from the media that made you think of a relative/friend/acquaintance who may be offended with it? ___ yes ___ no ___ I am not sure./I do not remember. 8) Have you watched/heard/read something from the media that made you think of a relative/friend/acquaintance, and made you disagree with what you watched/heard/read because you know the truth about your relative/friend/acquaintance? (this could refer to any stereotypes by the media, i.e. Arab men are aggressive, Oriental women are conservative, etc.) ___ yes ___ no ___ I am not sure./I do not remember. 9) Have you changed your mind on something you previously believed in because of what you watched/heard/read something from the media? ___ yes ___ no ___ I am not sure./I do not remember. 10) Do you consider yourself fair and very balanced, or are you more prone to stereotypes and biases? ___ I am generally fair and very balanced. ___ I have a tendency to form opinions and stereotypes on issues. ___ I am a bit of both. 11) Is there any other information which you think would be helpful for my research paper? Thank you very much for your valuable participation and time! Your input is of great help to my research. Read More