Annotated Bibliography

The Sydney Muslim riot of September 15 was an incredibly polarizing event within the Australian media. Muslim people have been subjected to increasing racism and discrimination since 9/11 and this event has served to further promote the attitude of 'us vs them' within the media. These four sources are Australian and cover Muslim issues. Three of which are news pieces covering the riot, the remaining an academic paper on the representation of the Muslim community within Australian media. Through analysing the bias and credibility of production and sources, I have presented the validity of each source. 

Brown, A. (2012, Sept 17). Violent Riot. Channel 10 News. Accessed at: http://video.heraldsun.com.au/2279954830

This short, live coverage of the aftermath of the Sydney Muslim riots aired September 17, two days after the event. Despite the adequate amount of time to produce a balanced and extensive piece, the coverage was incomplete, light and far from credible. Although the reporter, Ashlea Brown, is referred to as a crime reporter, Channel 10 is not known primarily for balanced and in-depth coverage of complex issues. At only 2.2 minutes long, the segment is rushed and lacks detail. The program has taken a sensationalist approach to the story, using phrases such as ‘get a grilling’ and ‘ratted out’. As the coverage was live, this source is far more likely to have inconsistencies than a longer-form post event source such as the abc radio piece. Additionally, because of the rushed nature of the coverage, the channel’s sources were weak. Two individuals were shown talking about the event, including a Muslim woman, however no names or information was shown, lessoning the credibility of both the sources and program. The segment did not cover the actual riot, instead relying on a single photo (inserted below) of a boy holding a poster bearing the phrase ‘behead all those who insult the prophet’. This lack of substance provides a limited and sensationalist source for analysing the Sydney Muslim riots.

Box, D., Edwards, H. (2012 Sept 17). Extremists seen among Muslim rioters at Sydney protest. The Australian. Accessed at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/extremists-seen-among-muslim-rioters-at-sydney-protest/story-fn59niix-1226475406735

The Australian newspaper is generally considered a reliable source, and the authors of this in-depth article, Dan Box and Harry Edwards, have both written extensively within Australia. Both Box and Edwards provide an all encompassing and detailed article on extremists present at the Sydney Muslim riots, covering multiple angles. The article included first-hand accounts of the riot and those involved, as well as background information and subsequent arrests and released police information.  Although this article and Channel 10’s news segment were both released on September 17, the Australian’s treatment of the event is a far more extensive and credible source in relation to the rioters involved. Credibility is established by Box and Edwards through the use of witness and reporter Jarred Owens, and numerous identified and reliable sources such as Samier Dandan (president of the Lebanese Muslin Association), NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipone, and Keysar Trad (founder of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia).  Together, the authors and sources provide a thorough account of the event through detailed imagery. The article covered the riots, the six men arrested, the reaction from police, future ramifications of the protest and the voice of the Muslim community, resulting in a fair and balanced article and a credible source.

Foster, N., Cook, K., Barter-Godfrey, S., Furneaux, S. (2011). Fractured multiculturalism: Conflicting representations of Arab and Muslin Australians in Australian print media. Media, Culture & Society, 33(4), 619-629.

This academic paper covers prejudice against Australia’s Muslim population and their representation with Australian media. Given that the other three articles cover a Muslim issue, the Sydney Muslim riots, the subject matter of this article is key in interpreting and understanding the media reports surrounding the issue. The authors, Nena Foster, Kay Cook, Sarah Barter-Godfrey and Samantha Furneaux are all academics from Deakin University, Mebourne. The article combines an original study with reliable information and statistics from other sources such as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. With thirty-four eternal sources and correct referencing, this paper is well researched and credible.  The article examined daily and weekend editions of Australia’s national broadsheet and tabloid newspapers from all capital cities, concluding that the most common attitude within the Australian media towards the Muslim community was “Arabs and Muslims are different [from us]”. This conclusion, and article, is reliable as it has been reached through extensive data analysis using text analysis software. Therefore, through applying this article’s findings to the three other news sources, the bias of such sources can be fully interpreted and understood.

Green, J. (2012 Sept 16). Mariam Veiszadeh on Muslim riots in Sydney. RadioNational, ABC. Accessed at: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sundayextra/opinionista/4116954

While radio interviews often have the potential to be incredibly one-sided, the guest of this long-form radio piece, Mariam Veiszadeh, provides a unique, insightful an useful perspective. As a Muslim woman, as well as a lawyer, human rights activist and opinion writer, Veiszadeh is well placed to comment on the Sydney Muslim riot and presents as a reliable and credible source. The interview covered the outrage of the Muslim community in response to the riots, an angle not fully explored by other media outlets (as the study above would suggest).Veiszadeh also addressed the issue of the picture of the young boy, however treated the issue with much more clarity and less sensationalism. Despite being released on September 16, a full day before the other two sources, this radio interview, while not detailing the full extent of the aftermath, explores the event further, examining the broader issue of Muslim discrimination and the probability of that being a contributing factor in the riot. Veiszadeh also discusses the actual cause of the initial protest, the production of anti-prophet film ‘Innocence of Muslims’. Although this interview, at ten minutes long, has only one source, it remains credible and composed and is therefore a valuable source. 

Photo of young boy at Sydney Muslim riot