mass media and religion

7/29/2019 Mass Media and Religion

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juan miguel ala tolentinocomm 140

religion [and] spirituality


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what place can

religionhave in the

media?Pope John Paul II (1989)


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[vs] religion?

media


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[on] religion?

society


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Society on Religion:Postmodern + Pluralist +

Secular

(Societys) relationship with thechurches has become more

critical, less submissive, moreindividualist. (Valle, 1994)


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Society on Religion:

Postmodern + Pluralist + Secular

The church lost its central role.

The individual had the right and theability to know God's will.

The individual could decide what to

believe. The relationship of people to

organized religion has been weakened.


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organization [vs] conceptreligion as


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Facts have morphed intoreligious tenets.

They are fervently heldbeliefs, but they are

not necessarily true.

Instead modern facts are akind ofdogma beyondrefutation.

(Gilder, 2009)


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[on] mediareligion


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Religion on Media:Acceptance To Rejection

The attitudes of people of religiontowards the media are extremelyvaried from uncritical acceptance tototal rejection of media's presence in

the life of society.


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Religion on Media:Paternalism To Domestication.

The advent of the mass media was wellreceived by the churches, although theyexpressed certain fears.

To alleviate these fears, churches:

tried to reduce the media to being instrumentsat their service

considered themselves the only ones fit to teachtheir correct use

had a marked distrust of the audience, whichhad to be protected, directed and controlled


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Religion on Media:Acceptance To Rejection

Today, the biggest criticism by peopleof religion on media is that it isusurping religion's place in society.

Thus, they consider media as a threat

to religion.


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Religion on Media:Threat #1: Derailment

Media is derailing the greater part ofinterests, motivations, satisfactions

and energies that are the purpose ofreligion.

Religious people have feared themedia especially because the mediathreaten traditional religious valuesand beliefs.


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Religion on Media:Threats #2: Appropriation

Religious language is beingappropriated.

New symbols, images and rites arebeing created.

"The mass media - especially television -have taken command of the power ofmyth ... One role of myth is to situate us,to define the world and our place in it.(Goetthals, 1993)


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Religion on Media:Threat #3: Rejection of Organization

Religious themes that have noconnection with organized religion are

being developed. This is welcomed by some

independent evangelistic groups

shaped by a remarkably uncriticalfaith in the media.


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the language of religion

pro-life [vs]

pro-choice:


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The Abortion WarsCarlin (2004)

CONSERVATIVE:

[X] anti-abortion negative and lacked

emotional power

[] pro-family

[] pro-life made them appear

virtuous

suggested that the otherside is be anti-life, and,therefore, pro-death

LIBERAL:

[X] pro-abortion

[X] anti-life

[X] pro-death

[] family-

planning [] pro-choice

completed the namegame


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Pro-Life = Anti-Woman?

(Conservatives) believe a womansprimary role is to function as a

brood mare for the State. If they think a fetus is moreimportant than a woman, theyshould try getting a fetus to wash theshit stains out of their underwear.For no pay.


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The interesting part

is that the words

lifeandchoiceare not even opposites.

-George Carlin (2004)


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and extremismislam


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Muslim criminals

Muslim terrorists

Muslim hold-

uppers


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THE MEDIA IS GUILTY OF BIASagainst Muslims when words likeMuslim and Islamic are used

to describe criminals or terroristsin news reports, according to Sen.Edgardo Angara.

Balana, C. (2008). Angara hits media bias vsMuslims. Philippine Daily Inquirer.


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AIJC report entitled Prejudice and

Pride: News Medias Role inPromoting Tolerance (2008)

biases against Muslims in news reports

lack of clear reportage on issues affectingtheir community.

recommendations:create a comprehensive framework for media

reportageadopt a nondiscriminatory approach to news

reporting


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implicit stereotype:

Islam = radicals,extremists, terrorists

In the Mindanao conflict:

US [government military]

vs THEM [militant groups]


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or achurch beat?do we have a

religion beat


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The Missing Beat:Roman Catholic Bias

In the Philippine national

media, there is lack of news onreligion and the absence of areligion beat.

What is practiced instead is aChurch beat.


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The Missing Beat:Roman Catholic Bias

The Church beat decides:

what religious issues and eventsmake it to the mainstream

which denominations are beingcovered


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on sects [&] cultsthe media


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Small Faiths:Sects and Cults

It is not exceptional to say that interestgroups in a society hope to manipulate the

media to support their agenda. What is unique in the case of small

religions, however, is the medias own self-directed inclination to be highly and

unrelentingly critical of the small faithsthe so-called sects and cults (Witham, 1998).


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other CASE

STUDIES


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[for] religion?media


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OPTION #1:Muggeridge (1997)

(Media) is not only unnecessary butharmful to religion. For example, television is a medium that traffics

in fantasy, that creates images and ideas that arenot true and does not have and cannot have anyrelationship with truth.

In this position, religion is consideredas timeless in order to maintain itspurity and integrity.


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However, this same

timelessconcept is used by those

who make use of thefantasy of the media tocommunicate very

effectively the fantasy oftheir own "gospel".


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OPTION #2:Postman (1985)

Religion can be successful on media(especially television) only if it offers whatpeople want.

However, this presumes the trivialization andemptying-out of content.

The way people behave towards religion andmedia is different.

For example, people behave with a certain degreeof solemnity in religious gatherings. However,they eat, talk or distract themselves whilewatching media (for example, television Masses).


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OPTION #3:Giradet (1980)

The context of media includes notjust religious but technical,

financial, political and culturalaspects. Media and religion, should not be isolated

from reality.

Media is now indispensable in thecommunication processes of society, andif religion were to survive, it has to adapt.


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Religion have become

more controversialandconflictual(because) ... religious

understandingand practice are so low.

(Beckford, 1994)


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[+] religion?media


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Bibliography Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication. (2008). Prejudice and

Pride: News Media's Role in Promoting Tolerance.

Balana, C. (2008). Angara hits media bias vs Muslims. Philippine DailyInquirer.

Carlin, G. (2004). When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops. Hyperion Publications,Comedy Concepts, Inc. New York City.

Giradet, G. (1980). Il Vangelo Che Viene Dal Video. Claudiana, Torino. Spain.

Goethals, G. (1993). Media Mythologies. Religion and the Media. University ofWales Press, Cardiff.

Muggeridge, M. (1977). Christ and the Media. Hodder and Stoughton.

Postman, N. (1985). Amusing Ourselves To Death. Viking Penguin.

Santos, E. (2013). The Missing Beat: A study on the religion beat in the

Philippine national media. Unpublished graduate thesis. UP Diliman, Collegeof Mass Communication.

Valle, C. (1994). Religion and the Media. Media Development, WorldAssociation for Christian Communication. London.

Wojtyla, K. (1989). Religion in the Mass Media: Message Of The Holy FatherJohn Paul Ii For The 23rd World Communications Day. Vatican City.

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