An important finding was that the general population feels that “media coverage can perpetuate faith-related stereotypes rather than protect against them.”

“The data reveals that faith and religion are a core element of personal identity globally, with 82% of respondents viewing themselves as faithful, religious or spiritual,” commented Dritan Nesho, CEO of HarrisX, the ones who conducted the study. “Yet the journalists with whom we spoke to believe that faith and religious coverage are becoming increasingly marginalized due to everything from newsroom economics to fears of ‘getting it wrong’.

Here are some of the main findings found in the Press Release: 

63% of people globally said that high-quality content on faith and religion is needed in their respective countries. 53% of people globally believe that media coverage actively ignores religion as an aspect of society and culture today. 59% of people globally think that it is important that the news media coverage reflect a diverse set of religious perspectives in their content and reporting. 56% of people globally agree that there should be more nuanced coverage of complex religious issues. 

The Global Faith and Media Study discusses a complex set of issues that are shaping the way faith and religion are covered in the media. On one side, this is due to smaller budgets that lead to a lack of specialist journalists.

Source: prnewswire.com