Page - 197 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

Kenneth Starck | Perpetuating Prejudice 197 wards to harassment and intimidation. Headlines from two major newspapers reflect the framing of the stories: “St. Louis Muslims Lead Diverse Lives that Defy Stereotypes” (Aisha Sultan 2001) and “Overcoming the Stereotypes” (Saeed Ahmed 2001). Again, it is worth noting the Arabic names of the re- porters. Weston concluded that portrayal of Arab Americans following September 11 contrasted “vividly with the historic stereotype of the Arab terrorist” (2003, p. 103). Nacos and Torres-Reyna (2007), in their extensive content analysis of newspapers, magazines and broadcast media over a number of years, found “significantly more positive and less negative media coverage of American Muslims and Arabs” (p. 19) in the months following the September 11 attacks. Among changes cited were increased use of Muslim/Arab sources and more coverage that was thematic (in-depth) rather than episodic (short, snappy). But this change did not last long. Extending their analysis beyond the immediate aftermath of September 11, the investigators found coverage of the American Muslim and Arab communities reverted to pre-September 11 coverage, namely, stereotypical and negative. Six years after 2001 the view from the Middle East reflects a similarly somber tone. In an article about Arab-American artists, a reporter for the Gulf News published in the United Arab Emirates, wrote that while millions of Arabs call America home many are searching for identity. They ponder such questions as whether they are Arabs or Arab Americans or U.S. citizens. While many Arabs still dream of a bright future in America, the events of September 11 “changed everything”. The article goes on: Arab Americans became the target of hate crimes, illegal detention and unexplained deportations. Some suffered from civil rights violations... Suddenly, stereotypes against them multiplied and their lives became governed by the ever-changing laws and regulations (Patriot Act) [...] (Alafrangi 2007). The reporter wrote that while Arab-American artists understood the problems, e.g., the generalization of all Arabs being Muslims, they also remained relatively optimistic. One artist, a comedian, commented that the U.S. was “the only place in the entire world where one can create something from nothing.” Another artist, an actor, pointed to a basic problem in the portrayal of ethnic groups, namely, that so very few of them – in this case Arabs – work in the American media. The point about being heard, that is, having a voice in the discourse on matters directly pertinent to one’s own well-being, is terribly important if not