Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mr. Robertson, and I'm delighted to welcome you to another RE lesson.

Today's lesson is part of our unit, which is entitled "Religion and Media: How Can We Live Online Together?

" Today, we're going to be thinking about religion and belief and how it's represented in different media and why misrepresentation might be a problem.

Can't wait to get started.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain how religion and belief are misrepresented in the media and why fairer representation matters.

To help you with this, we have some keywords with you.

So our first word is the word "media.

" And by "media," we mean channels of communication like newspapers, TV, radio, and online platforms that deliver information to the public.

We also have the word "misrepresentation.

" And that means when the media presents a group, belief, or event in a way that is inaccurate or misleading.

And finally, we have the word "representation.

" And that means the version of reality that the media presents, shaped by choices about what to include, what to leave out, and how to frame a story.

So our lesson is made up of two parts.

In the first part of the lesson, we're gonna be thinking about media misrepresentation.

In this lesson, we're going to be guided by Amanda.

And Amanda is a journalist, and she's a journalist who is a specialist reporter in religion and belief.

And that means she knows a huge amount about different religions and beliefs, and she's really committed to thinking about how we can present that well in the media we find today.

Amanda says, "People used to access media through TV, newspapers, and the radio.

A few gatekeeper organizations, like the BBC or newspapers, decided what content was shared.

Things have changed, and now people can read articles on social media or news websites, watch clips on YouTube, or catch the news on TV.

" I wonder what you think these changes might mean for religion and how religion and belief is represented.

You may want to pause the video at this moment and talk to the person next to you, or just think for yourself.

I wonder what you came up with.

Well, people could see lots of different ideas about religion, which would give them more information and make religion easier to understand, but it might also be confusing as well.

Changes in the media can be both positive and negative for the representation of religion.

So positively, we might say there are lots more channels to access media nowadays, and that means that there might be a wide variety of content for all faiths.

On the other hand, we may say that that huge amount of content can be overwhelming.

There might be so much we can't possibly take it all in, and also, the quality is going to vary hugely.

We might say that because nowadays, anyone can share content online, that means that lots of different, diverse voices are represented, and perhaps different religions or beliefs we may not have heard from in the past can now be heard from.

However, the fact that anyone can share information online means that there's also a risk of misinformation being promulgated as well.

I wonder which negative and which positive seems most important to you.

Again, feel free to pause the video here and reflect on that question.

Let's just think about what we've been learning so far, then.

I've got a true or false question for you here.

Modern media always represents all religions fairly and accurately.

Think about some of those pros and cons we were just looking at.

What did you say?

Well, the answer's false, isn't it?

But why is it false?

Well, the fact that anyone can share content online can be a positive for religion, but it can also be a negative because the variety of content can be overwhelming, and the quality varies.

Well done if you got that right.

Let's look at a couple of examples for you now so you can see what we're talking about.

If I was to do an online image search, and I put the term "Jewish men" into a search engine, I might very well get a result which looks something like this.

You may want to have a go yourself, choose a search engine, put in the term "Jewish men," and see what you get.

Do you get an image which looks very closely like this?

I wonder why this image might be problematic.

Again, pause the video, have a think.

Talk to the person next to you.

I wonder what you thought.

Obviously, this is an illustration rather than a photograph.

Well, we can talk to some Jewish people to find out a little bit more about why they may be uncomfortable with that result.

Daniel says, "Images like this are problematic because they can create stereotypes.

They make people think all Jews look or live like Haredi men," because that was an image of Orthodox Haredi Jewish men.

"In reality, many of us express Judaism very differently.

I'm Jewish, but I wear modern clothes.

The issue is that the media keeps using one small group as the visual stand-in for an entire diverse religion.

" So, can we see here what Daniel is saying as a Jewish man, why he finds that image or images very similar to that coming up at the top of search engines as misrepresenting his religion?

There are many reasons why images in the media can misrepresent religious people.

Let's look at some examples of this.

So search engines rank images based on what is most common and popular online.

So, in some areas that might be useful, but it can be problematic in religious terms because it means the same images keep being put to the top of search engines.

These traditional representations are used more often, so the algorithms think they're the most relevant.

If diverse or modern images aren't widely shared or tagged, they don't appear as much.

And the result of that is that search engines prioritize images that users click on, which can reinforce those stereotypes, which means, for our example of Jewish people, the same images keep coming to the top.

And that means that if you're somebody who doesn't really know much about different Jewish people, you may think that that is what most Jewish people look like, and so those stereotypes keep being reinforced.

Laura has seen this image and caption on a social media platform being used to introduce a piece about Muslim women.

Here we have the image, and the caption says, "Muslim women are hidden from public life.

" Laura says, "This suggests Muslim women are shut away from ordinary society.

It gives the impression that most Muslim women dress like this and are silent or controlled.

" I wonder if this is the whole story.

I wonder what you think about this image coming up on a social media platform, and what you think about the headline.

Do you think this does present the whole story?

What kind of impression do you think this might give of Muslim women?

So to find out a little bit more about this, Laura interviews Zaynab, who writes about Muslim women.

She asked Zaynab, "What are your thoughts on this?

" Zaynab says, "This example lacks nuance.

It doesn't show the subtle differences in how Muslim women practice their faith.

It suggests Muslim women are defined by full face covering and a lack of freedom, even though this isn't the case for most of us.

Sadly, it can lead to people making false assumptions and becoming prejudiced.

" So you might want to pause the video here and reread what Zaynab is saying carefully.

What is she saying about images like this and what it might imply about how Muslim women look, dress, and are treated?

So you may notice that Zaynab talks about this lacking nuance, not showing difference in diversity, and people making false assumptions that all Muslim women dress in this way and have no freedom.

Amanda, as we said, is a specialist reporter on religion, so she can explain for us why the media can misrepresent religious people.

She says, "Representations of religion in the modern media can often lack nuance because they simplify complex beliefs into quick, clickable stories.

They don't show the important differences about how religious people live their lives.

" Let's think about what Amanda has just been saying.

I've got a sentence here with a missing word.

I wonder if you can think of what that missing word might be.

"Representations of religion in the modern media can often lack _____ because they simplify complex beliefs and don't show the important differences in how religious people live.

" What word would go there, do you think?

Excellent.

It's the word "nuance," isn't it?

This idea that we need to show the subtle differences between different people within a religion so we don't give a misleading impression of what it's like to be Jewish, Muslim, or another belief.

Okay, I've got a task for you now to think about this idea of representation and misrepresentation.

I'd like you to think about the examples in the table below.

So here we go.

We have a headline saying, "All Sikh men wear turbans and follow the same traditions.

" We have an image of a Haredi Jewish man, that's a man looking like the image we saw earlier used as a thumbnail for an article titled "What Jewish life looks like.

" A blog titled "Muslim women are hidden from public life" illustrated only with images of women in full face coverings.

And finally, a social media post claiming "Christians disagree about same-sex marriage," showing quotes from people with different views.

So for each of those, I'd like you to decide whether that's a fair or an unfair representation of that religion, and also try and explain why you think it may be either fair or unfair.

Good luck, everyone.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Excellent work, everyone.

Let's see what you put.

So, for the headline about all Sikh men wearing turbans and following the same traditions, that's really likely to be unfair because it generalizes the religion by saying, "All Sikh men wear turbans," when we know that's not true.

So it's not showing that there's diversity within being a Sikh.

The image of the Haredi Jewish men is unfair because it's using that group of Haredi Jewish men as a stand-in for all Jewish people, saying what Jewish life looks like, and that reinforces the stereotype.

The blog title around "Muslim women are hidden from public life" is unfair because it represents an extreme example of how Muslim women dress, leaving out the fact that many Muslim women dress in a variety of different ways, and there's lots of different ways of being Muslim.

But the social media post claiming "Christians disagree about same-sex marriage" is likely to be fair because it's showing the idea of disagreement, but it's got quotes from different views, so it's not saying that there is one simple view that Christians might have about same-sex marriage, and that diversity makes it a much fairer representation.

Brilliant work if you managed to get those right.

So in the second part of this lesson, we're gonna be thinking about understanding representation, and we're gonna look at this in a bit more detail.

Amanda is visiting Oak National Academy to speak to some media study students.

She's explaining the importance of understanding media representation in her role as a specialist reporter of religion.

She says, "It's important to remember that media doesn't present reality; it re-presents the world.

" I wonder what Amanda might mean by that term, "re-present.

" This might be a really good opportunity to pause the video and have a little think about what that word might mean.

Andeep is talking to Amanda.

He says, "I notice you said 're-present,' Amanda, rather than just the word 'represent.

'" Amanda says, "'Represent' means showing something as it really is.

I use 're-presenting' because it reminds us that every story is selected and shaped by the person reporting it, so we're seeing a version of reality.

As a specialist reporter of religion, I think it's particularly important to take care when creating and engaging with media re-presentations of religion and belief.

" True or false?

Let's think about what Amanda's just said.

"Re-presenting" and "representing" mean the same thing in media.

Both show the exact reality.

Excellent.

It's false, isn't it?

Because Amanda was saying that "re-present" shows that the media doesn't show reality as it is.

It shows a story, a version of events that's shaped by the decisions the reporter makes.

Brilliant if you got that right.

Amanda shares five core values that guide the work of professional journalists.

These are: impartiality, accuracy, independence, accountability, and humanity.

Impartiality means reporting fairly.

Accuracy is about checking facts carefully and correcting mistakes.

Independence is about staying free from outside influence.

Accountability is about owning mistakes and explaining decisions.

And humanity is about avoiding harm and respecting people's dignity.

Professional journalists try to abide by these values and make sure that the stories they write encapsulate these values.

Laura says, "Which value do you think is most important when reporting on religion?

" Amanda says, "That's a difficult question, as they're all important, but I think when it comes to reporting on religion, the value of humanity is my priority.

That's because religious communities are very diverse, and focusing on humanity helps reporters avoid stereotypes and shows people as real individuals.

" Amanda's approach could be summed up in these ways.

Firstly, who created the story, and who is the focus?

Secondly, what is claimed?

Thirdly, why was it posted?

Fourthly, how is it presented?

Fifthly, when was it posted?

And finally, where was it posted?

So we're really thinking through about what's going on, why is it there, and that way we can understand it better.

Amanda has asked the students what their reactions are to two headlines which cover the same Church of England General Synod debate on same-sex marriage.

The first one says, "Christians refuse to support gay marriage.

" I wonder what you think when you see that headline.

Andeep says, "This makes me think that you can can't be a Christian if you accept same-sex marriage.

" The second headline says, "Many Christians support same-sex marriage.

" I wonder how you feel that headline may be slightly different.

Laura says, "This makes me think that Christianity is made up of people who have lots of different views," because it's got the word "many" in it, so it implies that there's this diversity within it.

Amanda encourages the students to ask questions about the who and how in relation to this headline.

Andeep says, "Well, who?

The story is about Christians, but it's unclear which individuals or groups.

We should also ask who reported it and what perspective or bias they may have.

" In relation to the how, Laura says, "The story is made simple, uses strong words, and is meant to get a reaction.

It doesn't show that different Christians might think differently.

" So we can see how asking those "who" and "how" questions can make a difference to how we perceive and understand that headline.

Fergus is an Anglican Christian.

Amanda shares his reaction to the headline with the students.

Fergus says, "This headline uses emotional and sensationalist language.

It begins with the word 'Christians,' when in fact it referred to members of the Church of England.

The word 'refuse' reinforces the stereotype that religious people are stubborn, and the headline omits to mention that this was widely debated and many members of the Church support same-sex marriage.

" So we can hear from Fergus his frustration with that headline, because firstly, it's using the word "Christians" inaccurately, and secondly, the word "refuse" is creating a stereotypical idea that religious people are always against things, when in fact, there's a diversity of opinion within the Church of England about gay marriage.

Andeep says, "Even if we approach media representations critically, we should remember that there will always be stories that are missed out.

" Amanda says, "That's correct.

So it's important when asking 'what?

' questions to also ask about what hasn't been included.

Some religious people are trying hard to make sure they are not underrepresented.

" So we've talked about misrepresentation.

How might religious people try to combat underrepresentation, do you think?

Amanda explains that sometimes religious groups avoid the media.

She says, "This might happen because they see speaking publicly as 'showing off,' or because they fear misrepresentation.

As a result, the positive work they do can often go unnoticed.

" She asks, "What do you think of when you see the Salvation Army badge?

" I wonder what you think of when you see that badge.

Are there any ideas or images that come into your mind?

Laura says, "When I see that badge, I think of Salvation Army charity shops and also of brass bands playing Christmas carols.

" Gemma is a Salvationist from Bristol, and she comments, "There's much more to the work of the Salvation Army than charity shops and brass bands.

The Salvation Army holds the UK's Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.

This means it runs safe houses across the UK where survivors of modern slavery can stay and receive counseling and legal aid.

We also work with law enforcement to rescue victims.

I work as a transport volunteer, which means I help survivors by taking them to a safe house where they can get further support.

" So what is Gemma telling us about the Salvation Army, and how might that be different to a stereotype around brass bands and Christmas carols, I wonder?

Well, she's talking about some of the really important work they're doing on the big issue of modern slavery, and, in fact, that they are doing really courageous work on behalf of the government to help people, to take people out of slavery and put them in safe houses.

Which of the following is not a reason why fair media representation of religious groups is important today?

A, one-sided stories can create division in society.

B, oversimplified coverage can reinforce stereotypes.

C, missing context can give a false picture of beliefs.

D, fair representation ensures all media audiences agree on religious beliefs.

Well done.

It's D, isn't it?

Because actually, if we have fair representation, then different media audiences can agree on religious beliefs.

Okay, we're going to think about this idea of misrepresentation and underrepresentation that we've been looking at in our lesson today.

I'd like you to have a go at being a journalist.

We're going to be thinking about that Salvation Army case study that we just looked at.

There's an existing press release that has been released on behalf of the Salvation Army.

A press release is a piece of writing that's put out to the media to interest them in a story and get them to report on it.

The press release says, "Still playing brass instruments and selling stuff in charity shops.

" Andeep is thinking about what he learned from Gemma.

"This headline and press release make it sound like this is all the Salvation Army does, but I know they hold the UK's Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.

" I'd like you to work with a partner, and I'd like you to take what Gemma said about her work with the Salvation Army into account.

She said, "The Salvation Army runs safe houses across the UK where survivors of modern slavery can stay and receive counseling and legal aid.

We also work with law enforcement to rescue victims.

I work as a transport volunteer, which means I help survivors by taking them to a safe house where they can get further support.

" What I'd like you to do is rewrite the headline and the original press release so it represents the work of the Salvation Army more accurately.

Use what Gemma has said to write a really persuasive headline and press release that fairly represents what the Salvation Army is doing, rather than the stereotype.

Good luck, journalists, and I really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Well, I wonder what you've said.

I came up with my own headline, "Beyond Brass Bands: How the Salvation Army is Fighting Modern Slavery and Supporting Communities.

" You may have come up with something similar or your own spin on that yourselves.

My press release looks like this.

It says, "There is more to the Salvation Army than charity shops and brass bands.

It holds the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract in the UK and runs safe houses for survivors of modern slavery, provides counseling, legal support, and a safe place to recover.

Working closely with law enforcement, the Salvation Army helps rescue victims and guide them towards long-term support.

Volunteers play a vital role in this work, from transporting survivors to safe houses to supporting community projects.

The Salvation Army continues to serve and protect vulnerable people, showing that its mission has grown far beyond its traditional image.

" So in this press release, we're trying to go beyond the stereotype and show all about the modern, incredible work that the Salvation Army is doing.

I wonder if your press release managed to do that as well.

Okay.

Let's sum up what we've been learning about today.

So we've learned that media used to be controlled by gatekeepers.

Now, anyone can post, which brings both benefits and risks.

We've also learned that misrepresentation means showing religion inaccurately.

Underrepresentation means not showing it at all.

We've learned that search engines and headlines often reinforce stereotypes by showing narrow or extreme images and stories.

We've learned that journalists and influencers shape how religion is seen, their authority and intent matter.

And finally, we've learned that fair media matters because poor representation can fuel prejudice and rising hate crimes.

Thank you so much for being with me today, and I look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon.

See you later.