Framing Islam and Islamism in the Australian news media: A content analysis of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The Australian

Abstract

Representations of Muslims in the Australian media have been overwhelmingly negative and stereotypical, affecting the way non-Muslims perceive Islam. Research also suggests anti-Islam and anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia tend to conflate the religion of Islam with political Islam, often termed Islamism. This research examines how Australia’s newspaper of record The Australian and the public broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), reported on and at times conflated Islam and Islamism, between 2018 and 2019. While there is a significant volume of literature on media representations of Islam and Muslims, few studies consider the distinction between Islam and Islamism in the news media. By examining instances where The Australian and the ABC conflate Islam and Islamism, this article posits that such reporting needs to be recognized as it contributes to misinformation, pejorative public sentiments about Islam and Muslims, and reinforces extremist propaganda.