Islamophobia is plaguing the Spanish press, according to an official report from the Spanish government

A shocking study has shaken up the Spanish media landscape. Commissioned by the Ministry of Inclusion, it reveals that around 46% of articles dealing with Muslims in Spain and Europe contain discriminatory stereotypes. The finding is clear after the careful analysis of more than 6,200 articles over four years.

Several big names in the press are singled out, notably La Razón and La Vanguardia. The EFE agency is not spared. The report points out the recurring confusions between Islam and terrorism, a tendency to present Islam as foreign to local culture, and an excessive fixation on the wearing of the veil.

Minister Elma Saiz does not mince her words: the editorial staff must question themselves. In particular, she recommends a better balance in the choice of speakers, emphasizing the importance of giving a voice to Muslim women, who are too often confined to clichés. If the trend has improved overall since 2017, some media like El Mundo are swimming against the tide, with an increase in problematic content.

The most striking? When articles address positive subjects (25% of cases), they are mostly free of prejudice. Conversely, negative topics, which represent three-quarters of media coverage, are riddled with bias in more than half of the cases.

The methodological rigor of the study deserves to be underlined. The researchers have developed a detailed analysis grid which examines six essential criteria: the formulation of titles, the use of statistics, the choice of images, the vocabulary used, and above all the diversity of the sources cited. An article obtains a better evaluation when it gives voice to different actors, in particular representatives of the Muslim community and official institutions. This approach allows for an objective and nuanced analysis of each publication.

This survey highlights a paradox: while other forms of discrimination are the subject of increased vigilance on social networks, media Islamophobia still too often goes under the radar. This Spanish government initiative raises questions about the situation in France. A similar study, commissioned by the French authorities, would be all the more relevant as certain French media have normalized hostile discourse towards Muslims. Columnists and editorialists multiply stigmatizing remarks on TV sets, while certain 24-hour news channels make Islam a permanent subject of controversy, often without giving a voice to those primarily concerned or to qualified experts.