Do You Read the Papers?

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

I am a fan of papers--the newspapers. My peers couldn't--and still can't--understand why I read the papers as much as I grasp, but not enjoying the fun lifestyles associated with young men. However, personally, reading the papers to me was and is "fun" and entertaining.

 

Anyway, if you read the papers as fervent and as avid as I am, then this topic is for both of us--you and me. And you will understand why.

 

I will try to label major newspapers published in English-speaking countries according to their ideological editorial point of view--based on my personal understandings and analysis of how they reflect and cover Islam, Muslims, refugees and immigrant-related issues.

 

Why would I waste time with that and care that much?

 

Good question. Because, first, I had seen some Soomaalis buying, subscribing and reading seriously some outright right-wing papers. I didn't know whether they knew the papers' stance or its editorial viewpoints.

 

And to top of that, I was flabbergasted when I heard some Soomaalis defending Fox News.

 

However, this is only for print media, how scary and humourous Fox is for another story.

 

The English-speaking countries' published major papers falls in three categories. They might seem to intertwine one another once a while, still they all fall in one way or other to one of three categories: Liberal, Moderate and Conservative.

 

Liberal: Leftwing.

 

Moderate: Centre-to-left-or-to-right.

 

Conservative: Rightwing. There are two kinds of conservatism, though. Fiscal conservative and social conservative. Fiscal is for financial reasons, for example supporting tax cuts, hands-off government approaching to its citizens, et cetera.

 

The papers I had read from time immemorial {some from online editions only} either falls or stands one of these three labels, and they are content with pleasure when they are labeled. And even though the papers seem, to us Muslims, to be not that boldly different, but they are different in some aspects, and we’ve to, if we have to read them, read the least anti-Islamic ones.

 

Now, the papers.

 

In Canada, they are five to seven major newspapers. I however would only label five of them.

 

• The Toronto Star: Pro-liberal. Unabashed left-leaning paper and Canada's favourite paper {and mine too}
• The Globe and Mail: Moderate, sometimes small-c conservative, sometimes big-L liberal.
• National Post: Launched in '98, Neo-conservative, brazen anti-Islam and anti-Palestinian articles, it is fortunately Canada's least profitable paper. And it is owned by a guy named "Israel" Asper. No surprises there.
• Toronto Sun: A big-c Conservative tabloid, read by mostly the rednecks and splashed with their favourite subject--anti-immigrant {including Muslims} news.
• Montreal Gazette: Recently bought by the same company that owns National Post, it is a small-c conservative paper, sometimes being in moderate. I don't know that much about this paper, so Montrealers out there, give us some more insight.

American ones:

 

• The New York Times: The darlings of the left. A famous big-L liberal paper.
• Washington Post: Another well-known for only left and more left, and the very sole competitor of New York Times.
• USA Today: America’s colourful favourite. Devouted to sports, I cannot for certain label it for now. However, it seems to be a right-to-centre or moderate.
• Chicago Sun-Times: Owned by the same company that owns The Telegraph of London and Jerusalem Post, don’t be surprised if it turns out to be a Neo-conservative, pro-Israel, pro-Bush.
• New York Post: America’s version of Daily Mail. Nothing more to say about it. Folks in England would know why. It is owned by Rupert Murdoch.
• Lost Angeles Times: A wanna-be Washington Post, and of course a leftwing.
• Wall Street Journal: Right’s mouthpiece, especially being known as a more fiscal conservatism than social.
• Boston Globe: Owned by New York Times Company, it is no wonder a leftist-leaning paper.
• The Minneapolis Star Tribune: Seems like a rightwing paper. I have yet to figure it out.
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Seems moderate, slightly toward to left.
• Washington Times: Neo-neo-neo conservative. No wonder it lost $1 billion since its inception in 1982, demonstrating the rednecks are tired of it too.

The British papers:

 

• Guardian: A fine liberal paper and my favourite of all papers I’ve mentioned combined. I love this paper, at least its online version.
• The Independent: Robert Fisk’s paper. 'Nuff said.
• The Telegraph: A nonsense rightwing paper, foremost being an Islamophic. It is owned by same company that owns Jerusalem Post, a paper even the Zionists are ashamed of.
• The Times of London: I will give you a hint to know where it belongs: it is also owned by Rupert Murdoch. Yep, the same guy who owns Fox News.
• The Daily Mirror: Amazingly, it is a moderate tabloid.
• The Daily Mail: An ultra-conservative far rightwing, creepy paper. What it reports have even broken the slim boundaries of tabloid-based papers.
• The Sun: Yep, a member of Murdoch empire and...

Australian newspapers:

 

• The Age: Centre-to-right and small-l liberal.
• Sydney Morning Herald: Moderate, sometimes small-l liberal.
• The Australian: Even though it is owned by that wacky Rupert Murdoch, it is sometimes moderate, especially being liberal to social issues, but small-c conservative to real politics.
• The Daily Telegraph: Like its counterpart, it is big, big time rightwing tabloid.
• The Herald Sun: Owned by Murdoch, should I say more?

______________

 

So if you ever decide to buy, read or just glance a paper, consider first its editorial standpoints and don't act surprised when you discover some of them daily rituals are feeding anti-Islamic sentiments to their readers.

[rudy-Diiriye]

i dont really read papers since i get my news from net. however, its amazing how less than hand full of ppl own most of the world's news services. thats pretty damn scary homies!

 

break down was awesome bro! ada fiiqan!! :cool:

[Liqaye]

Why is the assumption that a liberal papers effects is less malignant in its reporting of islamic affairs, some would say they are worse than out and out islamophobic papers, because quite simply they seem to be more mature and balanced in their treatment of islamic issues, but they differ only in method and subtelity with conservative papers, but in the end they are in the same bussiness of changing our religion for us, and potraying it as backward and vicious.

[Warmoog]

Miskiin, thanks for the insightful info. I don't read the papers much; I prefer online news (mainly IslamiCity.com)? but it's interesting to know all this.

 

Mad Mullah, the problem with the type of Somali news mediums you mentioned isn't a lack of media control. Even if a national Somali government were established, there'll always be "journalists" who will cater to tribalism and present twisted versions of reality. I think the problem has little to do with a lack of government regulations and more to do with the fact that there're people who consider the tribal junk "news". Tribal-based news mediums have found the one thing they need to survive... a market. Unfortunately, until that market evaporates, they'll continue to exist.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-

[*]

The Minneapolis Star Tribune

: Seems like a rightwing paper. I have yet to figure it out.

That is a "liberal" paper. It gets alot of heat from the righ-wing reactionaries for many of its stories.

[Gabbal]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Seems moderate, slightly toward to left.

Read somewhere the Seattle area is the most liberal in the United States, so yep all our papers lean to the left.

[raula]

Whether its is reading a newspaper or magazine one has to pay attention to the rhetorical appeals, the genre' of the information being conveyed(for instance, political, informative, persuading etc). Nevertheless, making the assumption that newspapers or print for this matter are right or left-wing is just plain dichotomous cliche'-especially, when referring to mainstream newspapers that are standard to a state or country(e.g the Minneapolis Star tribune). Major prints or news-median conveyers use the rhetorical mechanisms of pathos, ethos, kairos and logos when generating news for the public. That is who is the audience? how does this audience emphathize with the news being broadcasted?(relating to their audiences emotinal thirst whether it's right wing or the other)? How will the mode of conveying language affect the audiences reaction?(i.e how do they make it more appealing to get audience).

 

Nevertheless, this all about business and politics, but I dont think that the Minneapolis is a liberal nor a right wing paper(same logic applies to all other major newspapers). One has to be smart to filter out information whether in print or electronic form. My suggestion of getting a somehow balanced news is to peep into socialist-alternative news medias or prints.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Salaan...

 

Read somewhere the Seattle area is the most liberal in the United States

Nah! Bay Area is the most geographical liberal area in America. San Francisco is the hub of anarchists, leftists and the intellectual thought provokers who take refuge in Berkeley institution. Also not to mention the homos.

 

Mad-Mullah, brother, Soomaali media iska iloow. I read them from as many sources and angles as possible, but some websites out there are worse and are filled with more misinformation and propaganda than the Xidigta Oktoobar used to publish by Kacaanka.

 

And brother, CNN is nothing today since it started competing with Fox News for demographics, it is downright unwatchable. The last time I watched or visited its website was in '99.

 

Yaasmiin, islamicity.com itself gets its news from those papers and other media outlets, so it is not a main source of news itself.

[Rahima]

With the Australian papers, undoubtedly the best and least anti-Islam (as they all are) is probably the Age-unfortunately it is considered the intellectuals newspaper and therefore the majority do not read it.

 

The Herald Sun on the hand is considered "the peoples paper" but is really nothing more than a tabloid paper that is extremely anti-Islam- with writers like Pamela Bone and Andrew Bolt how can they not be?

[Reality Check]

I can only read NY Times if I'm in the states, or Toronto Star if I'm in Canada.

 

 

Otherwise, I'm not much of a paper reader.

[Saxardiid]

Guardian: A fine liberal paper and my favourite of all papers I’ve mentioned combined. I love this paper, at least its online version.

My favourite as well. Its paper based one is more interesting. It also tries to give fair access to Muslim writers.

[Blessed]

I always loved the Guardian, particularly Society Guardian on Wednesdays. However, things changed last year after I've read this article based on an undercover investigation of gay tendencies in the Muslim community... It rubbed me off the wrong way, I never quiet looked at the Guardian in the same light..I guess it really is liberal and liberalism isn't always muslim friendly.

Laakin, it's got to be said there was a really good sarcastic piece about being a Muslim in post Sep11 England by this Pakistani fella lat wednesday….

 

As for Somali papers, Kasmo is a nicely balanced Somali paper- just wish they focused more on issues facing Somalis in the UK.

[Valenteenah.]

I read most national and local London papers, both left and right wing. Its my job to.

 

My personal favourite has to be the Guardian tho, because of the G2 supplement. The Independent isnt so bad either. I like most of the columnists.

 

I cant stand any of the tabloids however, not even the Mirror and absolutely not the Daily Mail...it makes me feel :mad: . But I'm forced to read them often in my research.

[General Duke]

Financial Times (FT) is authoratitive in business The Independent with Robert fisk is the best for current events specialy news regarding Iraq, though I hate the ignorant gay & proud Johan Hari. I stay clear of the Telegraph, The Times and the useless Evening Standard. Picking up The Guardian depends on the story but it lost some of its prestige as a leftist journal.

 

Cant stand the tabloads specialy the SUN even though I have built up some respect for the Mirror since its anti war stance.

 

As for TV, its Al Jazeera and Al Arabia and I like the Al Jazeera English website. or just check headlines on

www.news.google.com

 

Somali news always from the internet, Allpuntland, Dayniile, Hatuuf but take these with a pinch of salt.

[AYOUB]

Like most nomads above, these days i read online version rather than the printed ones . I sometimes watch papers reviews at night on TV then read what might've caught my eye online or buy the paper the next day. The big disadvantage with online 'papers' is they don't include the photos found on printed ones which are almost half the 'news'.

 

Like the political parties i find the 'lefty papers' are less racist but more pro-gay and right wing papers are more anti-islamic but anti-abortion/gay. There isn't a paper that has editorial line even close to what my views are even though i feel more guilty when i buy the times or the telegraph.

 

I read the tabloid for the sports pages only but only when one falls into my hands. When i first came to the UK i used to find it very strange when i see an old man (esp black) reading the Sun or the Star :eek: but not anymore. I think they call it assimilating.

 

Here are a few sites which go to to find some alternative news:

 

 

http://www.axisoflogic.com for IRAQ

 

 

kavkazcenter.com.(news from chechniya)<<some of the videos are amazing.