Portrayal of muslim women in indian press-a study of media coverage of triple talaq issue

Abstract

Media play an important role in the portrayal of image of any community, political leaders, or people. Navasky said-that: “It is based largely on journalism that we make up our national mind” (Navasky cited in Zelizer & Allen, 2002). The images of race, caste, community, and religion as perceived by the media have long been of interest to researchers as they signify the attitude of majority communities towards smaller groups. No religious community has generated so much heat and debate than the Muslims in the world have. In 2017, the right wing NDA government supported the abolition of Triple Talaq to provide gender justice to Muslim women paving way for national debate. The move was overwhelmingly welcomed by the Muslim women who consolidated their strength by forming an organization and openly took on the religious clerics. The Government determined to enact the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill brought it before the House in December 2017. Triple Talaq issue took media by surprise, as they never anticipated the support of Muslim women. Media gathered all the courage to address the issue mainly because it has been raised by Muslim women and the Apex Court appeared to be supportive of divorced Muslim women. TV channels gradually opened up followed by print media to cover the historic issue. The vulnerability of media secularism and the lack of a clear-cut media policy on this significant issue prompted this study. The study shows that there are variations in the slants and frames in Triple Talaq stories in the press. The Indian press has portrayed a mix of favourable and unfavourable slants of the Muslim women. However, contrary to popular belief, the degree of favourable slant is higher than unfavourable ones, illustrating a change in the attitude of the press to the sensitive issue of Muslim women.