By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion

Stereotypes plague so much news coverage of Muslims in Donald Trump’s America.

I’m talking about negative pieces that attempt to turn every conservative state into a bastion of hatred toward Islam and its followers.

These are the type of stories that take a single case — or a few random incidents — and scream, “Islamophobia!” See examples here, here, here, here and here. Too often, these articles rely on squishy generalizations when what readers really need — and deserve — are hard facts.

So what’s the antidote to such poor journalism?

Well, reporting that focuses on real people — with real context and real nuance — would be a nice place to start.

Speaking of which, the Washington Post (for which I occasionally freelance) featured just such a story on its front page Monday.

Post national writer Robert Samuels enlightens and surprises — both nice traits for a newspaper story — as he paints a portrait of Syrian refugees in a state where nearly three out of five voters supported Trump.

Read the full column.

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More of my GetReligion columns (February 2017):

Continue reading “Anti-Islamophobia: A nuanced portrayal of Syrian refugees in the heart of red-state America”

By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion

Way back in 2004 — during Season 6 of the Emmy Award-winning television drama “The West Wing” — a congressman raised the idea of banning marriage. All marriage.

With two-thirds of Americans then opposed to same-sex nuptials, a gay Democrat identified as “Rep. Benoit” proposed getting the government out of the marriage business.

“If the government can’t make it available to everyone, I want us out of the business entirely,” Benoit said to Josh Lyman, chief political adviser in the fictional Josiah Bartlet administration. “Leave it to churches and synagogues, and, of course, casinos and department stores.”

Lyman chuckled and brushed off the suggestion.

Fast-forward more than a decade: A majority of Americans support same-sex marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court has legalized it. And amid ongoing battles pitting gay rights vs. religious liberty, some real-life lawmakers wonder if the answer might be removing the government from the process.

The Associated Press reports on a Missouri legislator’s proposal to do just that.

Read the full column.

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More of my GetReligion columns (January 2017):

Continue reading “Just in time for new year, one state debates ending government-sanctioned marriage”

My Top 10 most-viewed GetReligion posts of 2016 Continue reading These were the most popular of my 200 GetReligion posts this year

Links to Bobby Ross Jr.’s top columns

Oh, Politico! We’re not laughing with you, but at you, after that ‘advance God’s Kingdom’ scoop. Published Dec. 5.

False balance: As New York Times reports on divided campuses, only left has ‘real’ concerns. Published Dec. 8.

‘Just who is Dylann Roof?’: Do we really need to know what makes a mass murderer tick? Published Dec. 12.

Holy ghost in my past: How I blew my chance to explore the faith of the ‘real’ Santa Claus. Published Dec. 13.

‘He did it!’ – MLB coach beats cancer, but media remain vague on faith that sustained him. Published Dec. 15.

After Dylann Roof verdict, best stories aren’t about the killer — but resilient survivors. Published Dec. 17.

AP on religious liberty: Those bigots down in Mississippi are still up to no good. Published Dec. 19.

An old-fashioned Baptist political squabble: Hey WSJ, that’s what we call a scoop! Published Dec. 20.

Washington Post wrote about overlooked rural evangelicals; now it needs to talk to them. Published Dec. 21.

Surface-level journalism: New York Times fails to cover heart and soul of pro-Trump town. Published Dec. 28.

Click below for additional December 2016 columns.

Continue reading “Best of GetReligion: December 2016”