Moz in the Media

Yesterday, Edina Lekovic, the Commications Director at the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), gave us a wonderful talk on "Muslims in the Media"

Here are some highlights:

• There wasn't really much coverage of Islam in the media pre-911 so it's false to conclude that the coverage post-911 has declined. Pre-911 you only really heard of Islam around Eid time or when there was a conflict in the Muslim world.


• Media is driven by personal stories, this can be our greatest friend or foe.


• Entertainment media (like the movies) also gives us information (like the news).


• Internet/Blogs/Newspapers/TV are all becoming equal in terms of credibility in the public eye.


• People think programs like "The O'Reilly Show" are news shows because they're broadcast on news channels but they're really opinion shows.


• If you want to reach the average American, then you need to target local media like local news programs and newspapers. Much more people watch these shows than shows on CNN or Fox News.

FRAMING

• Effective communication needs good framing--we need to use vocabularly and language that is most effective to reach our target audience. How you tell your story is as important as what your story is.

Edina gives us an example of positive framing and the Imam...doesn't.

• FRAMING AND SPINNING ARE NOT THE SAME THING!

For an example of spinning, check this out around the 7 minute mark: (WARNING--This clip will really piss you off!)

• And finally, remember that you have to start from an area of commonality to effectively change hearts.