Brian J. Bowe: “Framing Islam – How media coverage shapes perceptions of Muslim neighbors and Islamic threats”

WWU Professor Brian J. Bowe will will discuss his research on how media coverage shapes perceptions of Muslim-Americans in his presentation, “Framing Islam: How media coverage shapes perceptions of Muslim neighbors and Islamic threats.” Bowe is a veteran journalist, author, and educator whose work examines the interplay of journalism and culture in multiple settings. In recent years, growing communities of Muslim-Americans have faced tensions over practicing their faith against the backdrop of global conflict and terrorism, which is represented on local levels in media coverage when Muslims assert their philosophical right to exist within American society. Bowe’s talk will examine the ways routine decision-making processes of media workers shape the public’s perceptions of Muslims in the United States, and he will discuss the tendency for media discourse to treat Muslims as monolithic others, rather than individuals with a range of beliefs and experiences.