ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introductory background to the importance of the issue of negative Muslim representations within British newspapers. For more than 20 years, media activists and academic scholars have called out anti-Muslim bias in British newspapers where Muslims are portrayed as the problematic ‘Other’ of British society. Yet hidden amongst this dominantly negative media discourse, contradictions and counter-narratives about Muslims find a foothold in newspaper coverage to present more contextual and nuanced interpretations of news stories involving Muslims. The chapter introduces the argument that by considering the contradictions that appear in British newspapers alongside the more dominant negative representations, it becomes possible to understand Muslim representation as a much more complex process than a one-sided effort to spread anti-Muslim discourse. To get this much needed insight, the chapter showcases original research that focuses on the first-hand experiences of journalists and editors who write and produce news stories involving Muslims.
