MEND Moves to Remote Training: Media Masterclass

During these unprecedented times MEND continues to empower volunteers with the necessary knowledge to develop their policy-based literacy to further support MEND’S objectives. Last week, the first of many remote workshops were hosted by MEND’s community team. The sessions were conducted over 3 days and focused on the powerful influence and impact the media has on the lives of Muslims.

Volunteers from a range of working groups across the UK came together to learn about the different media outlets, namely, TV, Radio, and Online. They familiarised themselves with key media institutions like the BBC, ITV and Sky and prominent stakeholders influencing the broadcasting agenda. The impact and influence of politics within the media made interesting discussion. Media regulation and the challenges around process and accountability were also addressed.

Various articles relevant to Muslims were analysed highlighting issues such as bias, language choice, and the use of distorted facts and opinions.  The grounds for making complaints were discussed to inform volunteers on how to make an appropriate complaint to the relevant regulatory media body.

Volunteers gained useful insight into the influence of Media; they were given the necessary tools to identify and address issues pertaining to Islamophobia. Equipping them to deal with issues that arise within their localities and beyond.

The following testimonial was sent by a volunteer from the East London Working Group, “What an amazing course, it was highly informative and relevant. The powerful relationships between the media institutions and the media ‘moguls’ was an intricate one. I was surprised to hear MEND’S contribution towards the Lord Leveson Inquiry. This insightful course has provided me with the skills to analyse articles with greater understanding and has given me the confidence to make complaints where necessary.”