Reflections in a Bloodshot Lens

There exists today a tragic rift between Americans and the world's Muslims. Each views the other with suspicion and anger. Yet in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, there was widespread sympathy for the U.S. in the great arc of Muslim nations from West Africa to Southeast Asia. This book explores what happened. It examines the disconnect that leads Americans and Muslims around the world to view the same words and images in fundamentally different ways. Partly a result of a centuries-old 'us' against 'them' dichotomy and an essential difference in worldview, the problem is exacerbated by an increasingly polarised media and by leaders on both sides who either don't understand or don't care what impact their words and policies have in the world at large. Veteran journalist and former CBS News correspondent Lawrence Pintak explores how the US media portrays Islam, and how Arab and Muslim media represent the US and its actions. He argues that the abyss of misunderstanding and mis-reporting has distorted perceptions on both sides of the divide with potentially disastrous results. Built on the author's extensive journalistic experience, the book is carefully grounded in contemporary academic scholarship - including Orientalism, othering, worldview, media effects theory and framing theory, amongst others - giving it broad appeal to students of such fields as media studies, Middle East studies and Islamic studies, as well as general current affairs readers.