Anti-Muslim Memes in Obama 08 Campaign

Lisa Barr
This article is published in Volume 6 of The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society. Its title there is: 

"Contradicting an Internet Rumor via Traditional and Social Media: Campaign Obama’s Anti-Muslim/Pro-Christian Rhetoric"

“Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?

The answer's no, that's not America....”

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, “Meet the Press,” October 19, 2008

INTRODUCTION

Given the U.S. military attack and occupation of countries with substantial Muslim populations, it seems surprising that only U.S. cinema has been thoroughly analyzed for its anti-Islam content. Jack Shaheen and his book Reel Bad Arabs is the only comprehensive academic treatment this topic has seen. One might ask why the dearth of studies concerning the anti-Islam content in U.S. news media?

This paper attempts to answer that question and advocate for the use of specific mass media performance theories to use in exploring the political news end of this mass media research gap. It focuses narrowly on political news media coverage--specifically upon the failures of U.S. news media to cry foul at overtly ideologically biased, if not outright racist behavior by the successful campaign for president run by and for Barack Obama.

Blinded in the Streets: Journalism's Failure in Pittsburgh

Lisa Barr
This article appeared in the January/February issue of The Humanist. It was titled "Media Watch
Missing Stories from the Streets: Why Weren’t the Pittsburgh G-20 Protests Better Covered?"
When you have a 1500 word limit, some things get edited. Regrets always ensue. I had not found space for Cindy Sheehan's account of her exposure to some sort of chemical agent needlessly inflicted upon people in Pittsburgh. Militarized police on American streets should have been big news. Needless attacks on peaceful demonstrators should have been page one.  This problematic policy needed discussion (and elimination) before it was implemented.  You can watch for updates regarding the lawsuits prompted by the events outlined below at: http://www.aclupa.org/issues/freespeech/g20/index.htm
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"Over 4,000 cops from around the country occupied my hometown,” wrote a Pittsburgh native a week after the September G-20 Summit focusing on the global financial and economic crisis was held in the city, along with expected protests. “They brought a lot of expensive and dangerous cop toys ($20 million worth). I knew they’d find some excuse to use them all, and they did.”
This wasn’t CNN doing the expected, necessary follow-up to the September 24 protests, at which one of their crews was exposed to tear gas on a public street. It was folksinger and activist Anne Feeney, who found it “depressing and distressing” to see a city under martial law.