Feb 1996 Ramadan, Eid and the Media

by Brian Clouse

Ramadan Mubarak everyone! Some efforts were made with the media this year; progress was achieved and plans for the future set. Some new approaches were tested with television stations and some important contacts were made. Sadly, however, the results were not as fruitful as might be hoped, but the lessons learned are valuable.
First, for the entire week prior to the beginning of Ramadan, different media representatives were contacted. The Columbus Dispatch's Religion Editor, Sylvia Brooks, showed her usual interest in covering Ramadan. On Saturday January 20th, a very nice article appeared in the Dispatch explaining Islam and the celebration of Ramadan.

The news, weather, and/or community affairs departments of five local television stations were contacted in order to stimulate interest in Ramadan from a variety of perspectives. The weather departments were the least willing to participate, explaining that new moons, religious holidays, and sunset times are not part of their coverage. The news desks showed a little more enthusiasm, at least initially. Channels 4, 6, and 10 promised to announce the beginning of Ramadan during their 11:00 broadcasts, but we were not able to notify them early enough on the evening of January 20th that the new crescent moon had not been sighted. Some news editors expressed an interest in doing additional stories about Ramadan, but nothing solid has resulted as of yet.

This was the first time the community affairs departments were contacted, and it appears that they can be helpful in getting better coverage of Islam on local television news programs. Ron Thielman of WSYX Channel 6 was by far the most interested, and suggested several ways in which he could help. He promised to post the press releases sent to him on two major sources of information provided by Channel 6: A World Wide Web Home Page and a program in which the station faxes news reports to over 2,000 local businesses and organizations. He also promised to download the Public Service Announcements (PSA0 produced and distributed by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for review and possible airing during periods of low commercial sponsorship. Channel 4's Leslie Zuk also made efforts to get the PSAs for the same purposes. Channel 10 said they would try if their satellite dishes were available at the time. as of yet, I have not seen the PSAs at all.

The Ohio State Lantern and WOSU AM-FM-TV, to my knowledge, included no coverage of Ramadan. Perhaps, the Muslim Student Association should make its presence better known to the University, but this has been done before. the manager of creative services at Channel 4, Jana Buckey, made the sharpest statement about any coverage of Ramadan, or Islamic issues of local interest: The Islamic population in Columbus is just too small to be of any significance. I explained the local and national demographics of the Muslim population compared to other religious groups to her assistant, but she did not think this would convince her boss.

As frustrating as this has been, there are some important lessons to take away from this. first, we have to remember that progress is being made, however slow it may be. Over time, with good contacts and improved methods, we will get more recognition in the local media. But Ms. Budkey's opinion is not unique, and it's no mystery why.

Ask yourself this question: What has the Islamic community in central Ohio done that is of any benefit to this society? I do not mean to minimize the efforts of any Muslim individuals or groups that have been made. What I am suggesting, however, is that perhaps we should not sit around waiting for the media to improve our image for us, while we try to pressure them into doing better. In the end that will not work, and the intentions are misplaced. If Muslims are truly the best of a community for the good of that community, then it's due time for that to show. Homelessness, illiteracy, hunger, drugs, alcohol, prostitution, gambling, and crime exist throughout this city. There certainly is no lack of opportunity for us, that is for sure. when the Muslim presence in Columbus, Ohio has a positive impact, rather than one of disinterest or self interest, then the media will not be able to ignore us. But is won't matter then, because the rewards from Allah will far outweigh anything the media can say or do.