Above and below: details from the image used by the L.A. Times to illustrate a story on Muslims and a Mosque.
Current Events
Media Muddies The Message ... Again! L.A. Times - Carelessness, Negligence, Incompetence?
by DEIRDRE EDGAR
A recent Opinion L.A. blog post ran into some misunderstanding with readers over the accompanying photo. The post noted the quiet opening of an Islamic community center near the ground zero site in New York and said the lack of outcry "may indicate a lull in Islam-bashing in political discourse."
The post was headlined "Is anti-Islamic sentiment subsiding?" and featured a photo (above) of a group of men attending the opening of the center.
The problem came with the juxtaposition of the headline about anti-Islamic sentiment and the photo of the men, who are Sikhs. Several readers interpreted this to mean that editors didn't know the difference between Muslims and Sikhs.
"It absolutely confounds me to think that no one at L.A. Times caught sight of the fact that although the article is related to the anti-Muslim sentiment, Sikh gentlemen are pictured next to it. Are we so ignorant that we are still perceiving a Sikh as a Muslim?" reader G. Singh emailed.
Likewise, reader Dolly Kaur Sidhu emailed: "The media has done it again. Showing Sikhs and talking about Muslims. I am disappointed that people that write the stories are educated and knowledgeable, but they don't know the difference between Sikh and a Muslim."
Several others left similar comments on the post itself.
Web producer Alexandra Le Tellier was concerned about the comments and said, "We didn't intend to offend anyone." And she explained the photo's selection. "The photo is from the opening of NYC's Islamic center, which is what the post is about, and the photo caption doesn’t misidentify the men as Muslim."
But that wasn't clear to readers.
Ultimately, Le Tellier updated the photo caption to read, "Members of the Sikh community attended the grand opening of the Park51 community center and mosque."
She also responded to each of the commenters with this note: "Thank you for your comment. We have updated our photo caption to identify the men in the above photograph as members of the Sikh community. We didn't intend to suggest they were Muslim; we simply selected a photo from the event discussed in the post. But we are sensitive to your concerns and appreciate that you shared them with us."
A memo on photo usage that was sent to the newsroom Thursday might have helped prevent the misunderstanding. The memo, signed by Managing Editor/Online Jimmy Orr, Deputy Managing Editor Colin Crawford and Assistant Managing Editor Henry Fuhrmann, included a checklist of points to consider before running a photo, including:
Is the image directly related to the content of the story? Does it illustrate the story fairly and accurately? Are you sure it's not being taken out of context?
The photo from the Islamic center's opening was indeed directly related to the content of the story. But taken out of context -- viewed only in relation to the headline -- it could be misunderstood.
[Courtesy: Los Angeles Times]
October 9, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Jim Hansen (New Jersey, U.S.A.), October 09, 2011, 8:42 AM.
I have read the blog in question. Nary a mention of "Sikh" - only Islam, Mosque, Middle East, etc. I can't think of any intelligent reason why the photo should have been attached to the article, given the content of the article. This is more than carelessness or negligence: it is criminal. It happens all the time and it won't stop unless you lay criminal charges for hate-mongering against the newspaper's senior executives and owners, and/or sue them in a class action for damages. It is the only language we Americans understand!
2: Baljit Singh (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.), October 09, 2011, 8:47 AM.
I agree. In addition to the class action, the individuals shown in the photos should be suing for damages as well.
3: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), October 09, 2011, 9:43 AM.
Sikhs already suffer enough from a mis-directed back-lash after 9/11. We need to be careful about invitations to participate in Islamic events, while supporting them when deserving. One picture can speak a thousand times more than words - or, as in this case, no words! This matter should be pursued to the nth degree.
4: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), October 09, 2011, 9:44 AM.
So, hopefully, at least this display of a disturbing lack of basic education of American journalists will get Sikh-Americans to engage with the the civil society that they live in.
5: Yuktanand Singh (MI, U.S.A.), October 09, 2011, 10:22 AM.
In my office we have a "Murphy's" rule: If there is a risk that you could be misunderstood, you will be. We should know by now that stupid news editors will never miss (if given) an opportunity to show a Sikh turban in relation to unrelated but explosive news. At present, we should avoid situations where our appearance could be (and will be) exploited. We are not so well known yet. We are not Jews. We have no business forging an ostensible friendship with people whose scripture says that only they are worthy of peace and love. In contrast, our scripture teaches universal love. There is much interfaith work to be done yet. Meanwhile, there are many other relatively benign, burning world issues that need urgent activism, even though these same reporters will avoid showing us in a positive light. But they will have no choice if we continued long enough and in large numbers. A lawsuit is probably warranted to help raise awareness but I would not be surprised the media suppresses it or manipulates its reporting to show us as intolerant people.
6: Harinder (Uttar Pradesh, India), October 09, 2011, 10:25 AM.
Over the years I have seen a subtle attempt by the media to portray Sikhs as Muslims or a sect of it. This is absolutely wrong as we all know it. The Sikhs will have to maintain an eagle eye through an active 'media watch' to nip this campaign of disinformation in the bud.
7: J. Singh (Canada), October 09, 2011, 2:25 PM.
Having worked for American companies in the past, I can categorically say that the only language, as Jim Hansen points out, that they understand is litigation. As soon as they hear the word 'lawsuit' they will sit up and listen, otherwise no amount of reasoning or cajoling will help. This is what the system is built on, and this is how Jewish organizations in the past have dealt with similar situations.
8: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), October 09, 2011, 7:22 PM.
A few times while in the States, I have been stopped for a friendly, simple, innocuous enquiry. "Are you a Mo-slem? "No, I am a See-kh!" I have replied, politely. The concerned response: "Hope you get well soon". Or, "Then you go to the mosque!" Now, how do you repair such a manufacturing defect. Most of them are ignorant. To put you in a more forgiving mode please go to the following site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mWtWz_aGyk&feature=related. I am surprised the journalists have not done better.
9: Aryeh Leib (Israel), October 10, 2011, 3:52 AM.
Maybe a carrot-and-stick method could produce a win-win situation. Threaten a lawsuit - but propose that an acceptable solution would be a week-long series of feature articles on Sikhi and the Sikh community as a main feature; not buried somewhere in an obscure Sunday "Religion" section. Let them take all the pictures they want. It seems to me pretty obvious that the reason the photographer picked out the respected Sardars stems more from artistic reasons than political ones - they were probably the most exotic-looking people at the event! But make very, very sure that knowledgeable, responsible spokespeople (male and female) are interviewed for the articles. This way, the media will have ready-made news material, and the Sikhs will have positive image building material.
10: Aryeh Leib (Israel), October 10, 2011, 4:15 AM.
It appears to me that the machinery for a coordinated response is already in place - a joint Saldef-Sikhri initiative. If I'm overestimating (and even if I'm not), I have another suggestion, based on several readers' comments. If Jewish organizations are being mentioned as examples of how to do it right, then go straight to the source! I would recommend contacting a group like Agudat Israel of America, which has a great track record on these issues, and who will be able to relate on a religious and social level. Use them in a mentor/advisory capacity - but you will have to take the ball and run with it.
11: Mohinder (Hollywood, California, U.S.A.), October 10, 2011, 9:02 AM.
These sikhs felt they wanted to attend the opening of the Islamic center, and they did the right thing. The L.A. Times intentionally put this picture without weighing its relevance or labeling it correctly. No Sikh should feel that they need to lie low and not be seen together with Muslims, or members of any other religion.
12: Devinder Pal Singh (Delhi, India), October 10, 2011, 2:10 PM.
American academic curriculum needs to be strengthened. They need to learn about world culture and that too from literates in the field. Lately the President had highlighted that the students should catch up with maths to meet the challenge being brought up by Indian and Chinese students. I would like to add to this the strong need to understand and learn world religions by the students to appreciate mankind's belief and faith in the Almighty.
13: Kanwarjeet Singh (Franklin Park, New Jersey, U.S.A.), October 11, 2011, 1:27 PM.
Dear Sikh brothers and sisters - so what are we going to do about it? Well, here is my solution, radical though it may be. Are we Muslims or against Muslims - NO! Can we fix the defect in the thinking of most Americans, most of whom are ignorant and would not care to learn the difference between the turban on the street and the turban on TV - so I give education a 50/50. Here is a radical thing to do, though. In the past three decades of my life, I have noticed how Sikhs readily stand up against any injustice but I never see any Muslim organization whole-heartedly supporting Sikhs or Sikh issues. They may sit on the same bench but it is more to do with what they can get out of it for themselves. So why don't we smarten up and stand up for ourselves, independent of Muslims and establish our own identity. We can provide them moral support but separately. One of the (valid) reasons most Americans are critical of Muslim organizations is that most of these organizations have never gone out into the media and criticized the few Muslim youth who carry out terrorist attacks. So let us be practical - let us stand on our own and not muddy the waters further. Standing alone does not mean we are against Muslims - we are just different.
14: Gagan (Palo Alto, California, U.S.A.), October 14, 2011, 10:30 AM.
They seem to have finally removed the photo(http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/09/is-anti-islam-sentiment-subsiding-1.html. But it can still be seen here http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Mosque-Ground-Zero-911-Families-130291068.html