Earlier this spring, faculty at Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs hosted a symposium on “Reporting Islam.” The event brought together scholars and journalists to discuss the care and nuance needed to accurately cover complex topics like religion and identity in public discourse.
On April 26–27, scholars of Islam, international and public affairs, education, race, and law gathered with practicing journalists and attorneys on Northwestern’s campus. The perhaps unlikely group of collaborators were there to reflect on the conventions and tropes that pervade public discourse on religion, with focused attention to the coverage of Islam and Muslims.
The ‘Reporting Islam’ symposium was part of the Talking ‘Religion’: Publics, Politics and the Media, a project made possible by the Luce/ACLS Program in Religion, Journalism and International Affairs and Northwestern Buffett.
“Scholars, advocates, and journalists have a lot to learn from each other on this topic,” said Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, political science professor and event co-organizer. “These dialogues are a powerful way to build lasting connections between individuals working on similar topics but with different timelines, styles of inquiry, and audiences. It allows us to build a bridge between Northwestern professors and students, and local and national communities of advocates, activists and professional journalists.”
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