HOPE not hate blog: Tone down the shrill

Tone down the shrill

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Monday, 22 November 2010, 13:17

Last week I sent out a survey asking our supporters who was mainly responsible for the rising Islamophobia in Britain today and three quarters of the 1,100 people who replied said the media. As a result we are today launching a campaign for more responsible journalism in the media. We have seen how extremism breeds extremism but we also believe it is important to target those whipping up the hatred that gives rise to the extremism.

Our first target is the Daily Star. We've gone through the past seven years of the newspaper and found hundreds of negative articles about Muslims - and very few positive. Many of the articles over-exaggerate the importance of tiny Muslim extremist groups while ignoring more mainstream Muslim opinion and use the words of these extremists to smear an entire faith. On other occasions they print inaccurate or slanted articles that whip up fear and mistrust.

So I've decided to write to the Star's editor Dawn Neesom to ask her to tone down the shrill.

Freedom of speech is correctly the cornerstone of British society but with freedom comes responsibility and the Daily Star has been overstepping the mark time and again to the extent that it is part of the cycle of hate that is increasing extremism in this country.

I hope you will co-sign my letter:
http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/s/responsible-reporting

Posted: 22 Nov 2010 | There are 9 comments

Comments

Comment 1 | From: David Sanderson (Grimsby] | Date: 22 November 2010, 13:27

Who exactly is hated and what are we/they hoping for?

Comment 2 | From: Zoe Thomas | Date: 22 November 2010, 14:20

Daily Star, Please stop encouraging racism by exaggerating the threat of extreme muslim groups as this is just creating a cycle of hate that needs to stop.

Comment 3 | From: winston k moss | Date: 22 November 2010, 14:45

DAILY STAR LIKE OTHER SIMILAR NEWSPAPERS SUCH AS THE SUN,DAILY MAIL,MAY FIND IN TIME THEIR CIRCULATION EFFECTED,DUE TO THEIR RIGHT WING STANCE.SADLY I FEEL THIS IS WHAT EFFECT THEY WANT BECAUSE SALES IS MORE IMPORTANT TO THEIR SHAREHOLDERS WHO WE WILL FIND ARE EITHER OFFSHORE TAX EVASIVE DOMICILES WHO DON'T EVEN LIVE HERE ANYMORE BUT ARE HAPPY TO REAP THE BENEFITS FROM THIS COUNTRY.

Comment 4 | From: Chloe Reynolds | Date: 22 November 2010, 17:35

Wouldn't it be amazing if the media shared some good news for a change!

Comment 5 | From: Mike Spoor | Date: 22 November 2010, 18:26

I support the petition.

Comment 6 | From: Ed USoB McBumchin | Date: 22 November 2010, 18:47

Hi, can I be cheeky and advertise an FB group that some of your readers might be interested in? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=133122436719409#!/group.php?gid=133122436719409&v=wall "This group is to raise awareness of bad journalism, to gather ideas on how the press could be made more responsible and also to find positive ways to bring about change in the way apologies are presented in the newspapers."

Comment 7 | From: Bob in Leeds | Date: 23 November 2010, 12:01

Whilst any efforts in this direction are worth making, I'm afraid I have to agree with Winston above. The Star (and other red tops, with the honourable exception of the Mirror, but plus the Mail)are simply in business to make money. There is no gutter in which they will not grovel and roll in order to make an extra penny. There is (or used to be) an NUJ sponsored "Journalist's Code of Conduct" which all NUJ members were supposed to sign up to. Just for amusement, you could take anycopy of the Star and see how many times the Code was broken.

Comment 8 | From: Bigsy | Date: 28 November 2010, 14:34

The Daily Star are loathsome in the extreme. They are more than happy to slur any ethnic minority group as they know it will sell papaers ot the ingnorant. I rmember during the Iraq War demos in London DawnNeesom slagging off anti-war protesters in the most vile terms, even boasting about the time she stamped on a girl's foot on a train. She is vile, bigoted, right wing and full of hate. The Star (Der Sturmer!) is a disgrace. I also remember the Star feeding the anti-illegal immigrant scare during the late 90's and early 2000's before Muslims became the bogeymen of choice for the ingnorant and bigotted, and guess waht? Fewer stories about illegal immigrants and more about Muslims. Those who work at the Star should resign.

Comment 9 | From: buy deca durabolin | Date: 3 March 2011, 10:14

Very good post.

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