Communities: Faith

Faith communities know that media influences the way that various religions are viewed and contributes to the shaping of the views and perspectives of people of faith. Faith communities have a long history of dialogue about the proper approach to mass media.  Does the power of media suggest that a better approach is to simply turn off the TV?  Or is it better to become creators of positive media?   These questions continue to be hotly debated amidst a national context of concern with "indecent" programming and recent elections that reportedly divided Americans along lines of moral values.

Faith Presence in Media

Various religious scholars and faith groups have expressed concern about how media content impacts their communities.  First, faith communities point to the role that media has played in using stereotypes to portray people of faith. For example, this article explaining viewer protest against a program called "The Book of Daniel."  These stereotypes portray people of faith as fanatics/fundamentalists who may go to dangerous extremes in order to advance their beliefs. See the paper "Dealing with Distortion of the Image of Islam by the Global Media."  Other stereotypes suggest that people of faith are less intelligent or rational than non-religious people, or that people of faith are corrupt or hypocritical. See this summary of "The Culture of Disbelief," by Stephen Carter.  Second, faith communities see mass media itself as being potentially antagonistic to their religious values.  An example is the recent debate over broadcast and cable "indecent" content, content that is not considered "family-friendly," or simply content that promotes values that are in opposition to what a religion teaches, such as materialism.

Faith Media Ownership

According to this Religion Online article, while some people of faith have opted for avoidance of mass media wherever possible, or for using strict parental controls to protect their children from content they find objectionable, others have recognized the power of media to provide a larger platform for their message and have sought to participate in the creation of media. For example, the majority of low power FM radio station licenses are held by religious broadcasters.  This approach is not without debate, however, as some members of faith communities worry that religious programming can fall prey to a business model that emphasizes profitability over integrity. Read the article "Religion and the Media" by Carlos Valle.

Solutions

Various organizations are working to address issues of concern to faith communities in media:

• The International Study Commission on Media, Religion & Culture (ISCMRC) has put together a list of organizations focusing on media and religion.
• The Religious Newswriter Association provides support and information for journalists who cover the religion beat, providing links to various religious media resources and headlines that provide religious perspectives on news of the day.
• A number of articles on the intersection of religion and media can be found at Religion Online and and Islam Online and ISCMRC.
• The Christian Media Literacy Institute provides materials to assist parents and educators in teaching media literacy in light of Christian values.
• The Media Guide for Journalists Covering Islam focuses on providing resources to help journalists provide accurate information when covering Islam and Muslims in the United States.
• The Center for Media Literacy has a page focused on ways that faith communities can teach media literacy.
• The Pew Center for Religion and Media at New York University provides resources, events, a newsletter and information concerning the most recent academic publications in this area.
• FaithfulAmerica.org is an ecumenical project focused on providing a policy and action resource for progressive communities.
• The Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc. (OC, Inc.) advocates on behalf of populations which have been underserved in mass media, concentrating on the areas of children's programming, cable rates and programming, employment opportunities, and prohibition of redlining. 
• The National Religious Broadcasters represents 1,400 member organizations, is seeking to advocate for and inform religious programmers and producers. 
• Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America and a number of conservative groups – such as the Parents Television Council and Concerned Women for America, advocate for cable channel choice – which would allow consumers the option to pick, and pay for, only the channels they want to watch.  This would allow consumers greater control in determining what programming enters their homes and what programming they subsidize, rather than putting government in the position of determining what is appropriate. 

Visit the Community Organization and Resource Bibliography for a more comprehensive directory of groups and information.

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