Writing about religion is a difficult task that needs a special approach. It is critical for a journalist to maintain an open mind and avoid biased approach.
Many ethnic and religious groups live in Central Asia. Therefore, the subject of religion is of special importance. Understanding of the importance and sensitivity of this issue has inspired the experts to create the “Handbook on preparing media content on religious freedom and diversity of religions”. One of the project authors, candidate of philological sciences and media coach Maral Aitmagambetova said to CABAR.asia which hidden dangers can be met in the journalistic work, and how to avoid them.
CABAR.asia: What does it mean for a journalist to speak professionally about the religion? Does it mean to be a believer?
Maral Aitmagambetova: No, it does not, because making quality content about religion implies objectivity. The first question the journalist must ask oneself is ‘How unbiased can I be when I write the material?’ One of the reasons to give up on writing an article on such a sensitive subject is that the journalist is a committed believer and it can prevent him/her from the impartial coverage of the situation. If you are a practising person and perform all religious rituals, you should raise other issues in your work.
– What principles and ethical standards should be followed when covering religious subjects on the media?
– The standards of quality journalism are permanent, they do not depend on the subject. Following the ethical principles, the ability to show different points of view is the foundation of any journalistic material. One should respect the feelings of believers, maintain the secular approach and not succumb to temptation of taking sides. Secularism in the journalistic text is shown in the rejection of religious quotes, e.g., quotes of religious dogmas, interpretation of religious cannons. Secularism is implemented via impartiality. Readers should have the freedom of choice and the freedom to choose their beliefs, including religion.
Journalistic competence is important- how well he/she can deal with people, his/her experience of writing materials about intercultural, interfaith interaction, skills of conflict-sensitive journalism. This is the conversation about the most intimate things that a person can have – values, faith, and belief. It is important to avoid extra drama in covering religious subjects. One should not quote out of context to draw the audience attention, or use value judgements.
– However, evaluation of phenomena, situations are needed. Who must give them?
– Evaluations, interpretations, conclusions – they all must be given by experts, but not journalists. It is important to use religious terms in a correct way. Errors may lead not just to misrepresentation of information, but may offend the senses of believers, heighten social tensions given the sensitivity of the subject. Therefore, by the way, stories about religion often draw much attention of both the public and the authorities.
– How should a journalist avoid bias and stereotypes when describing religious communities and practices?
– Stereotypes and bias are the things that journalistic articles about the freedom of religion must break. Conversations about the life of religious communities, the people that practise one or another religion are conversations about our diversity. One of the methods of making content on sensitive subjects is storytelling. It is better to write about people who practise any given religion. It will promote the interfaith dialogue. There is such a concept as peace journalism, when the material does not separate people like discrimination, but brings them together. When you read about different religion given in a person’s story, you understand that his/her views and beliefs are close to you. Most of values correlate with each other in different religions. I can cite the journalistic project ‘Dreams behind the hijab’ as an example. The project brings people closer to each other, shows the commonness of values, in particular, the values of women via particular associations.
– What legal aspects should be taken into account when publishing religious materials?
– It is important for journalists to know the basic laws regulating the sphere of religion in their country, check the lists of proscribed organisations when writing materials. When they speak about any of such organisations, they should specify the status of the organisation. They should keep in mind that no and incitement of religious, interfaith discord is allowed.
– What is meant by the propaganda and incitement of discord in this context?
– Materials that can be the example of propaganda are stories with the clergy, where the dialogue with the journalist is based on personal faith and the desire to attract the reader or listener to their religion. And the publication turns into a sermon.
When covering any crime, it is essential not to specify the religious affiliation of a criminal, if it is not critical for the material. We can see pretty often when religious affiliation is associated with a certain illegal act. It promotes the incitement of religious discord. And the audience develops an association ‘if he practises this religion, it means that he is a criminal’. It works not only in religious issues, but also in migration, gender.
– What else should journalists avoid?
– Avoid emotionally expressive vocabulary and evaluative words such as ‘godless person’, ‘bigot’, ‘sect’, ‘non-traditional movement’. The word ‘sect’ originally did not have any negative sense. Sect is a sector, a part of something. There is a big religious movement, and one part of it separated and became a sect.
You need to use information from reliable sources, check statistics, figures, address, as I have mentioned, only reliable experts. Verification is critical – a lawyer must check if the material has any violations in terms of the law. If you know that the material covers interreligious or interfaith relations, you can show the text to a religious scholar to check if terms and details are correct.
– How to make a right choice of an expert in a sensitive sphere?
– Experts may be religious scholars, lawyers studying religious and legal issues, psychologists, leaders of religious communities, officials, representatives of offices in charge of religious affairs. Religious scholars consider peculiarities of various religions, describe them in general. Theologians study one particular religion. Generally, it is a practising person involved in religion.
One of the professional skills of a journalist is to have relevant key experts in one’s notebook and maintain contact with them. The journalist also needs to look for new speakers, yet keep in mind his/her responsibility to screen the so-called ‘experts’. Many thousands of subscribers is not a sign of the competence of any given specialist.
Note:
The Handbook on preparing media content on the freedom of religion and diversity of religions issued by Internews as part of the SCARF project (“Supporting Coverage and Advancement of Religious Freedom”) in 2024 contains terms that may and may not be used when preparing articles on religious topics and the review of the religious landscape of Kazakhstan.
The Handbook on covering religious issues for journalists, prepared under the project of the Institute for War&Peace Reporting (IWPR), contains statutory regulation of religious issues in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and practical recommendations.
Main illustration: Freepik.com